Inquest into disappearance and deaths of Pebco Three to begin

The State will on Friday, enrol the long-awaited inquest into the deaths of three anti-apartheid activists known as the Pebco Three who vanished in 1985.

Sipho Samuel Hashe, Qaqawuli Godolozi and Twasile Champion Galela were leaders of the Port Elizabeth Black Civic Organisation (PEBCO), which was affiliated to the United Democratic Front (UDF).

Inquest

The matter will be enrolled at the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Gqeberha.

It follows the decision by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, to hold an inquest based on the recommendations of the Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo.

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What happened?

At the height of civil resistance against the Apartheid government and its deadliest reign in the Eastern Cape, the three left their homes on 08 May 1985 to meet a prospective donor at the Hendrik Verwoerd Airport (now named Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport), never to be seen again.

Their fate remained unknown until November 1997, when former Security Branch (SB) policeman Colonel Gideon Niewoudt applied for amnesty during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings.

Confession

During his testimony, he confessed to participating in the abduction, robbery and murder of the Pebco Three.  

He further revealed that he paid a police informant to pose as a British embassy official to lure the three deceased to a meeting that was to discuss a potential donation to Pebco. When they arrived at the airport, they were abducted by members of the Special Branch and taken to an abandoned police station near Cradock (now Nxuba), Post Chalmers.

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Interrogation

Here they were interrogated, stripped, beaten, repeatedly suffocated, drugged, strangled and burnt on a diesel-soaked pyre whilst their killers enjoyed braaied meat nearby.  Some of the remains of the deceased were thrown into the nearby Fish River. 

Ten more members of the Special Branch, including askaris, applied for amnesty for the deaths of the Pebco Three. 

Amnesty

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said amnesty was only granted to two applicants for conspiracy to commit murder, abduction and assault. Both are deceased. 

“Niewoudt, Johannes Martin ‘Sakkie’ Van Zyl and Johannes Koole were indicted in the Gqeberha High Court after the TRC hearings. Due to interlocutory applications and the subsequent deaths of the three accused, the matter could not proceed. 

“No formal inquest was held into the deaths of the Pebco Three. It is therefore imperative that all the facts and evidence be properly ventilated before an Inquest Court for the court to make any appropriate findings,” Tyali said.

Tyali said the NPA and its partners will continue their efforts to address the atrocities of the past and assist in providing closure to the families of the victims of the crimes.

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