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Cradock Four Inquest Resumes as Witness Details Police Death Threat to Matthew Goniwe

The proceedings test allegations of a planned security-state killing to identify legal responsibility long after earlier probes stalled.

Overview

  • The second sitting reopened in the Gqeberha High Court on 13 October with family and community testimony on the 1985 murders.
  • First witness Mbulelo Goniwe told the court a police officer pulled Matthew Goniwe from a car on the N10, pointed a gun at his head and threatened to kill him shortly before the attack.
  • Mbulelo Goniwe said he later opened a police case over the threat, describing pervasive surveillance and intimidation in Cradock at the time.
  • Counsel for the families reiterated claims that a State Security Council 'security signal' recommended the activists be 'permanently removed from society,' framing the killings as premeditated.
  • Further testimony is expected over the next two weeks from former Security Branch and SANDF members, with Eugene de Kock and Deputy Minister Bantu Holomisa among those slated to appear.