South Africa is set to rebury two anti-apartheid activists executed on death row in the late 1980s for alleged politically related offences.
The government announced on Friday that the remains of Benjamin Malesella Moloise and Abram Zakhele Mngomezulu, long denied to their families, would be formally handed over in a solemn reburial ceremony on Saturday to be presided over by Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.
The reburial marks a historic milestone in South Africa’s ongoing journey toward justice, reconciliation and national healing, acknowledging the suffering endured by political prisoners during the apartheid era.
Between 1960 and 1990, at least 130 individuals were executed for politically motivated offences, many of whom were denied proper burials, with their remains secretly interred in Tshwane cemeteries without family consent.
“At the time, the state withheld their remains, denying families the opportunity to mourn and bury their loved ones with dignity,” the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development said.
Moloise, an ANC activist, was convicted in 1983 and executed in 1985 for the 1982 assassination of a security policeman – a charge he denied, claiming his confession was extracted under duress.
Similarly, Mngomezulu, another ANC member, was sentenced to death in 1989 following his conviction for the 1987 murder of Mandla Khoza during a rent boycott protest in Soweto.
Four teenage co-accused were given prison terms ranging from eight to 15 years.
During apartheid, South Africa’s oppressive regime targeted activists, subjecting them to arbitrary arrests, forced confessions and severe punishments, often including executions disguised as criminal sentences.
JN/APA