South Africa to Investigate Alleged Cover-Up of Apartheid-Era Crimes

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the formation of a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate claims that efforts were made to obstruct justice in the prosecution of apartheid-era crimes.

According to a statement from the presidency on Wednesday, the commission will examine whether there was improper influence or deliberate delays in investigating and prosecuting human rights violations committed during apartheid. The move comes amid a legal battle involving families of victims of political killings and enforced disappearances who allege that successive post-apartheid governments failed to ensure justice.

“Allegations of improper influence in delaying or hindering the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era crimes have persisted from previous administrations,” the presidency stated.
“Through this commission, President Ramaphosa is determined that the true facts be established and the matter brought to finality.”

Following the end of apartheid in 1994, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established to document and expose human rights abuses under white minority rule. While the TRC handed over a list of several hundred cases to state prosecutors, many were never pursued.

The inquiry follows a case filed in a Pretoria court in January by 25 family members and survivors, who are also seeking around 167 million rand (approximately $9 million) in damages from the state. The government has now requested a suspension of the lawsuit pending the outcome of the commission’s investigation, though no timeline has been provided.

The Foundation for Human Rights, an NGO supporting the families, welcomed the inquiry but criticized the government’s attempt to delay justice.

“Instead of entering into mediation, [the president] has decided to offload the declaration of rights and constitutional damages onto a commission of inquiry, which has no authority to deal with it,” the organization said in a statement.

The commission is expected to shed light on long-standing claims of institutional failure and alleged suppression of justice in the aftermath of apartheid.