First sitting of reopened inquest into deaths of Cradock 4 wrapped up

The first sitting of the reopened inquest into the deaths of the Cradock Four has wrapped up in the Gqeberha High Court in the Eastern Cape.

The inquest is looking into events surrounding the 1985 murders of anti-apartheid activists Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli, allegedly at the hands of apartheid security police.

The inquest is expected to resume on the 13th of October.

On the final day of this sitting, the court heard from the last surviving member of Matthew Goniwe’s immediate family, his only son, Nyaniso Goniwe who was just three years old when his father was killed.

“The unfortunate thing about these inquests really is people telling the truth because we can’t talk about forgivingness. We can’t forgive at this point until we can get the truth and those perpetrators that applied for amnesty well that had lied for all those years,”

Video: The Cradock Four Inquest | 11 June 2025