The Gqeberha High Court is set to begin an inquest into the deaths of three anti-apartheid activists, reopening questions about their 1985 abduction and murder and South Africa’s efforts to secure accountability for apartheid-era crimes
More than four decades after three anti-apartheid activists were abducted and murdered in the Eastern Cape, an inquest is set to reopen questions about their deaths and South Africa’s efforts to secure accountability for apartheid-era crimes.
The inquest into the deaths of Sipho Hashe, Qaqawuli Godolozi and Twasile Champion Galela, collectively known as the Pebco Three, is scheduled to begin in the Gqeberha High Court on Monday, 12 October, and run until 16 October.
The three men were leaders of the Port Elizabeth Black Civic Organisation (Pebco), which was affiliated with the United Democratic Front during the struggle against apartheid. On 8 May 1985, they left their homes to meet a prospective donor at what was then Hendrik Verwoerd Airport, now Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport. They never returned.
Their disappearance remained unresolved until November 1997, when former security branch policeman Gideon Nieuwoudt disclosed details of their abduction and murder during his amnesty application to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
Nieuwoudt testified that a police informant had been paid to pose as a British embassy official and lure the activists to the airport under the pretext of discussing a possible donation to Pebco.
The men were allegedly abducted by security branch members and taken to the abandoned Post Chalmers police station near Cradock, now Nxuba, where they were tortured and killed. Their bodies were burnt and some remains were reportedly disposed of in the Fish River.
Despite the TRC process and subsequent criminal proceedings, the killings have not resulted in a completed prosecution. In 2004, Nieuwoudt, Johannes Martin “Sakkie” van Zyl and Johannes Koole were indicted in connection with the murders. The case did not proceed to trial, amid legal challenges and the deaths of the accused.
The families, supported by the Foundation for Human Rights, have continued to pursue accountability. In 2019, they asked the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation to reopen the case. Their legal team later submitted an analysis of the available evidence and called for further action against surviving suspects.
The justice minister approved the request for an inquest in 2025. According to the NPA, no formal inquest had previously been held into the deaths. The purpose of the proceedings is to examine the circumstances surrounding the killings and ensure relevant evidence is placed before the court.
The first sitting is expected to hear evidence from the investigating officer, family witnesses and people able to provide historical context. Inspections at the airport and Post Chalmers are also expected as part of the proceedings.
Joseph Mamasela, a former askari implicated in the case, is expected to testify during a second sitting in 2027. However, his participation remains uncertain while a medical assessment into his fitness to testify is under way.
The inquest comes amid renewed attention to the long-running pursuit of justice for victims of apartheid-era crimes. For families who have waited decades for answers, the proceedings offer an opportunity to have the circumstances surrounding the deaths formally examined.
However, an inquest is not a criminal trial and does not, by itself, establish criminal guilt. Any findings will depend on the evidence presented and the conclusions reached by the court. And, as proceedings begin, the central question is what the inquest can establish about the abduction and murder of the Pebco Three and whether it can bring their families closer to answers after 41 years.