Nearly three decades after the fall of apartheid, South Africa is still grappling with the unhealed scars of its oppressive history. In a bold and historic move, twenty-five families of apartheid-era victims and survivors have launched a legal challenge against President Cyril Ramaphosa and his administration. Filed on January 20, 2025, at the High Court in Pretoria, this lawsuit underscores the frustration of many who believe the government has failed to deliver justice for the atrocities that defined one of the darkest chapters in the country’s history.
Central to the families’ case is the allegation that the Ramaphosa government has neglected its duty to investigate and prosecute apartheid-era crimes, leaving many survivors in a liminal state of unresolved trauma. Their demands include the establishment of a commission of inquiry into political interference that allegedly obstructed post-apartheid investigations into these crimes. This obstruction, they argue, has perpetuated the cycle of impunity, denying victims and their families the opportunity for truth, justice, and closure.
Financial compensation also features in their demands, with the families seeking 167 million rand (approximately $9 million) in damages for the wrongful deaths and suffering they endured. However, they insist that this lawsuit is about much more than monetary reparations—it’s about challenging the erasure of historical suffering and ensuring that the promise of justice isn’t abandoned in South Africa’s democracy.
One of the most prominent voices in the case is Lukhanyo Calata, whose father, Fort Calata, was one of the “Cradock Four”—anti-apartheid activists who were brutally murdered by security forces in 1985. Despite multiple investigations and promises of accountability, no one has been held responsible for the killings.
“These endless delays have ensured that many families like ours may never achieve justice. Suspects are dying of old age while we continue waiting for answers,” Lukhanyo stated, expressing the anguish shared by the families involved. A third inquest, scheduled for later this year to examine new evidence surrounding the Cradock Four case, has done little to curb the mounting frustration. Time is running out as key figures tied to apartheid-era atrocities pass away before facing justice.
This lawsuit extends far beyond the Calata family. It unites survivors and relatives of victims across some of apartheid’s most notorious incidents, including the 1993 Highgate Massacre, in which five people were killed by masked gunmen in a hotel bar. That case, like many others, remains unresolved, leaving survivors and families in emotional and legal limbo.
The diverse tragedies represented in this legal action serve a single purpose: to confront South Africa’s failure to reckon with its violent past. The plaintiffs are demanding that the government stop burying the truth and instead uphold its moral and legal obligation to victims.
While President Cyril Ramaphosa is widely seen as a reformist leader, his administration faces mounting criticism for its inability—or unwillingness—to prosecute apartheid-era crimes. A spokesperson for Ramaphosa has denied accusations of any **political interference in law enforcement, promising a comprehensive response to the lawsuit.
However, public trust in the ANC, South Africa’s ruling party since 1994, has significantly eroded. The party’s recent loss of its outright parliamentary majority in 2024 signals growing discontent with its governance. Many believe that the ANC’s inaction on apartheid-era crimes reflects lingering ties to powerful players in old political and security networks, raising serious questions about its commitment to justice.