Cradock 4 | Families believe perpetrators still around

EASTERN CAPE - Families of the Cradock four say the reopening of the inquest is bittersweet.

Activists Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlawuli, and Sparrow Mkhonto were killed 39 years ago.

Families believe their killers are still alive and walking free.

But, they say the inquest will open up old wounds.

The Cradock Four embodied a competitive spirit of fighting against social injustice so that the youth of South Africa can have a brighter future. These sentiments have been echoed by members of their families - who are optimistic that the inquest will reveal the real truth behind the murders of the four activists.   

"I hope that this inquest will bring the truth so that we can know what really happened on that evening of the 27th of June 1985. Because for now we are still asking ourselves I wonder what happened?," says Nomonde Calata. 

"Even as we speak you know the generals are sitting in the seaside in the Jeffreys Bay enjoying their ill-gotten riches. So, it couldn't have been at their own accord but they become then the sacrificial lambs of a broader scheme of things," says Mbulelo Goniwe.

Some who were part of the liberation struggle of the 80s say the Cradock Four would have been disappointed with the state of the country in modern-day South Africa.    

"If they were still alive, South Africa would probably not be facing these problems. Nothing has changed. You can even see our streets, this is one of the problems. Our roads are still not being maintained, and we still don’t even have toilets." says Nosisi Bontsi, activist.

The atrocities of June 1985 will never be forgotten. And it is now hoped that the reopening of the inquest can finally provide families of the Cradock Four with much-needed closure.