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Memorial for the Cradock 4.
A member of the Secretariat of the State Security Council during the apartheid era, Adamus Paulus Stemmet, testified on Wednesday that there was a “linguistic error” in the wording of a signal calling for the “permanent removal” of Matthew Goniwe and Fort Calata.
Wednesday marked the third day of the Cradock Four inquest at the Gqeberha High Court in the Eastern Cape.
Stemmet maintained that he did not approve of the military-style language used at the time, and insisted that such signals and documents should have first reached his desk for verification.
WATCH | The inquest looking into the deaths of the Cradock Four will continue in the Gqeberha High Court in the Eastern Cape. Kim Daniels reports. pic.twitter.com/FN2JCZR9fp
— SABC News (@SABCNews) March 25, 2026
The families of the slain activists were not convinced by the testimony. Lukhanyo Calata, son of the late Fort Calata, says he doesn’t believe that Stemmet is a credible witness.
“You can hear that Mr Stemmet is clearly contradicting himself. I do not believe that he is a credible witness at all. This is someone who used to lead straatcom, and we all know that means that they are professional liars. We just hope that the court will see through his tricks.”
VIDEO |The Cradock Four Inquest continues in Gqeberha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJboknz7SsY
