A new inquest into the 1967 death of South African Nobel Peace Prize winner and anti-apartheid leader Albert Luthuli has concluded that he was beaten to death, overturning the previous finding that he died after being struck by a train.
Thursday’s ruling by a Pietermaritzburg court comes more than 50 years after suspicions that Luthuli was killed by apartheid police for his leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) opposing white minority rule.
The South African government reopened the inquest in April as part of efforts to investigate high-profile apartheid-era killings allegedly covered up by authorities. A 1967 inquest had ruled Luthuli’s death accidental, caused by a freight train near his home—a conclusion long viewed with skepticism.
The judge said evidence showed Luthuli died of head injuries consistent with an assault and identified the notorious police Special Branch, possibly assisted by railway employees, as likely responsible.
The ANC hailed the ruling, saying it restores justice, truth, and dignity to Luthuli’s memory and honors all victims of apartheid brutality. Luthuli led the ANC from 1952 until his death and was the first African awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1960 for his nonviolent struggle.
The government is also reviewing other apartheid-era deaths, including that of Steve Biko.
Source: AP