Four former police officers from the apartheid era have been charged with the 1985 murder of Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) member Jameson Ngoloyi Mngomezulu. The accused, Gerhardus Stephanus Schoon (82), Paul Jacobus van Dyk (76), Frederick Johannes Pienaar (77), and Douw Gerbrandt Willemse (63), faced charges of murder and kidnapping in the Pongola Magistrates’ Court last week.
Only Schoon and Van Dyk were present in court, while Pienaar provided a medical certificate, and a warrant was issued for Willemse’s arrest as he did not provide a reason for his absence. The matter was postponed to 18 April 2024, to address issues related to legal representation.
The charges stem from the abduction and murder of Jameson Ngoloyi Mngomezulu in 1985. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) final report detailed the incident, highlighting the severe torture inflicted on Mngomezulu by apartheid-era security police.
The TRC report revealed that Eugene de Kock, an apartheid state assassin, authorized the abductions carried out by Vlakplaas operatives or askaris, including Willemse, Beeslaar, Nofemela, Mbelo, and Van Dyk. Pienaar, Schoon, and Beeslaar were implicated in the torture and destruction of Mngomezulu’s body.
The reopening of apartheid-era cases has been welcomed by activists and family members seeking justice. Imtiaz Cajee, an activist and nephew of anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol, emphasized the long-overdue nature of these cases and the need for accountability.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola recently approved the reopening of the inquest into the deaths of the Cradock Four, anti-apartheid activists killed in 1985. The pursuit of justice in these cases serves as a reminder of the responsibility to rule with integrity and honor those who fought for freedom.