Overview
- Lukhanyo Calata closed his evidence in Johannesburg after detailing a “double betrayal” of the Cradock Four families by the apartheid state and successive ANC administrations.
- Calata retracted a derogatory remark about politicians but maintained that Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma must account, urging the commission to use its subpoena powers.
- He said President Cyril Ramaphosa only established the inquiry after families sued over long delays, describing ignored requests for meetings and a lack of respect for victims.
- Calata cited a 2013 Cradock Four docket reported missing after being uplifted to acting NDPP Nomgcobo Jiba’s office, which he said contributed to years of stagnation.
- He warned that the deaths of key figures and continuing legal bids by Mbeki and Zuma to remove the chair have narrowed paths to truth, even as the hearings proceed.