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Truth untold: Who is to blame for the NPA not prosecuting apartheid crimes?
Activist Steve Biko's brutal death was one of over 300 matters that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for investigation and possible criminal prosecution.
Nothing would happen further with the case after the Priority Crimes Litigation Unit (PCLU) elected not to pursue any prosecution linked to Biko's horrific and untimely death because of a "lack of evidence".
A similar thing happened with the Ahmed Timol case, and it would probably have remained untouched had it not been for an inquest that set aside the findings of a 1972 inquest that concluded that Timol had died by suicide.
This would open the way for the prosecution of state security officer Joao Rodrigues, who died before he could stand trial.
In this week's Friday Briefing, News24's legal journalist Karyn Maughan takes a deep dive into why the ANC was prepared to interfere politically, leading to a moratorium being put in place at the NPA on the prosecution of TRC era cases, especially when so many families were desperate to know what happened to their loved ones.
The Mbeki administration has denied there was any interference but the evidence which Maughan has combed through tells a very different story.
It is a challenging but insightful read and comes a day after the country remembered 69 people who died at the Sharpeville Massacre.
Best,
Vanessa Banton
Opinions editor.
Mbeki denies interference in apartheid crime cases – but evidence contradicts him
After a decade of silence, former President Thabo Mbeki has denied court findings that his administration interfered in the prosecution of apartheid crimes. But, Karyn Maughan writes that a trail of undisputed evidence tells a very different, and disturbing story.
