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Pietermaritzburg High Court Rules Albert Luthuli Was Murdered, Overturning 1967 Inquest

The ruling attributes the killing to apartheid security branch officers acting with railway employees.

Chief Albert John Luthuli photographed before he boards a plane to Oslo, Norway, to be presented with the Nobel Peace Prize, 8 December 1961. (Photo: Keystone / Getty Images)
Chief Albert Luthuli in Oslo, Norway on 15 December 1961. Picture: AFP
Image
Albert Luthuli, pictured here with his wife, led the African National Congress from 1952 until his death

Overview

  • Judge Nompumelelo Hadebe set aside the original finding of an accidental train strike and found Luthuli died from assault-related head injuries including a skull fracture and cerebral haemorrhage.
  • The court identified specific railway and police personnel as implicated, naming train driver Stephanus Albertus Lategan, fireman Daniel Greyling, conductor Pieter van Wyk and detective sergeant Charles Barend Petrus Lewis.
  • Crimes cited include defeating the ends of justice, perjury and being accessories after the fact to murder, with the court noting that most named individuals’ whereabouts are unknown.
  • The judgment recommended that the Director of Public Prosecutions investigate the kidnapping and disappearance of alleged eyewitness Mbhemu Myandu.
  • The inquest was reopened by the National Prosecuting Authority in April 2025, and Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi publicly welcomed the court’s decision.