Media Statements

The African National Congress (ANC) welcomes the commencement of formal inquest proceedings at the Pietermaritzburg High Court into the tragic, unresolved and mysterious deaths of our former President General, Inkosi Albert Luthuli, and anti-apartheid activist and human rights lawyer, Comrade Griffiths Mxenge.

These proceedings mark a significant moment in our nation’s quest for truth, justice, and accountability. For decades, their families, comrades, and the broader South African society have lived with the pain of unanswered questions surrounding the suspicious circumstances of their deaths. The ANC, as a people’s movement rooted in justice and dignity, has consistently called for these matters to be fully ventilated so that truth may triumph over silence and impunity.

Inkosi Albert Luthuli holds a singular place in the history of South Africa. As a former President General of the ANC and the first African recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Inkosi Luthuli embodied the moral authority of our liberation movement. His unwavering commitment to a non-racial, democratic society and his courageous leadership in the face of apartheid repression inspired generations of activists. He was not only a leader but a living symbol of the values of peaceful resistance, principled defiance, and African humanism. His passing under mysterious circumstances in 1967 has long haunted the conscience of our nation, and this inquest is a necessary and long-overdue step in affirming his legacy with the justice it deserves.

Comrade Griffiths Mxenge, a fearless lawyer and freedom fighter, was brutally assassinated in 1981 for using the law as a weapon of liberation. As a servant of the people and defender of the oppressed, his work struck at the heart of the apartheid state. His murder was not only a personal tragedy but a political act of terror intended to silence those who dared to fight for the truth.

Today, as beneficiaries of the democracy for which they fought and died, we are reminded that the freedoms we enjoy were not handed to us—they were earned through sacrifice. The lives and deaths of President General Luthuli and Comrade Mxenge compel us to remain vigilant custodians of our democratic gains. They remind us that justice deferred is not justice denied only to the victims, but to the soul of our nation.

The ANC reaffirms its commitment to uncovering the truth, no matter how long it takes or how painful that truth may be. We stand with the families of Inkosi Luthuli and Griffiths Mxenge, and with all South Africans who seek toensure that those who gave their lives for freedom are never forgotten—and that the circumstances of their passing are never buried beneath the weight of history.

We urge the all to follow these proceedings and to reflect on the enduring meaning of their sacrifice. These inquests are a healing process and a catharsis to a nation wounded by unresolved apartheid deaths. We must confront our past with honesty, so that we may build a future rooted in truth, justice, and shared dignity.

END//