More than half a century after the suspicious death of Chief Albert Luthuli, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a towering figure in South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement, a high court has finally ruled that he was murdered by apartheid police, overturning decades of official denial. On October 31, 2025, the KwaZulu-Natal High Court set aside the 1967 verdict that Luthuli died in a tragic train accident, finding instead that he was beaten to death in a conspiracy involving both the notorious Special Branch police and employees of the South African Railway Company.
The court’s decision, announced in Pietermaritzburg and confirmed by Judge Nompumelelo Hadebe, follows years of persistent suspicion and family anguish. According to Cape Times and the Associated Press, the judgment was based on new scientific and mathematical evidence, as well as a comprehensive investigation by the Truth and Reconciliation Unit of the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation. The evidence, the Department of Justice noted in a statement, revealed that "it is highly unlikely that Chief Luthuli was struck by a train and died because of that." Instead, forensic analysis indicated that Luthuli’s fatal head injuries were consistent with a violent assault.
Albert Luthuli’s legacy looms large in South Africa’s history. As president-general of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1952 until his untimely death in July 1967, Luthuli led the nonviolent resistance against the white-minority apartheid regime. His leadership and unwavering commitment to justice earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1960, making him the first African to receive the honor. Nelson Mandela, who would later become South Africa’s first Black president, served as Luthuli’s deputy for six years, underscoring the chief’s influence on a generation of activists.
For decades, the official story—crafted by the apartheid-era government and upheld by a 1967 inquest in Lower Tugela—was that Luthuli died after being struck by a freight train near his home in Groutville, KwaZulu-Natal. No one was held responsible, and the South African Railways was cleared of blame. Yet, as reported by Cape Times and AP, the finding was met with widespread skepticism. Many South Africans, especially those who had suffered under apartheid, suspected a cover-up orchestrated by the authorities to hide the political murder of a national hero.
That suspicion never faded. The ANC, which has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994, welcomed the new ruling. “This ruling brings justice, truth, and dignity to the memory of one of South Africa’s greatest sons and to all those who suffered under apartheid brutality,” the party said in a statement, as cited by AP. Luthuli’s family, too, expressed relief and hope that the path is now open for those responsible to be brought to justice.
The reopening of the inquest was not an isolated event. In April 2025, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, acting on recommendations from the National Prosecuting Authority, requested the judge presidents of the KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape High Courts to revisit the deaths of Luthuli and two other prominent anti-apartheid activists: Griffiths Mxenge and Booyi Mantyi. The move was part of a broader initiative to investigate high-profile apartheid-era killings that had long been shrouded in secrecy and official misinformation.
The inquest into Mxenge’s death, for example, has also been reopened. Mxenge, a civil rights lawyer and ANC member, was found dead in Umlazi in November 1981, his body bearing more than 40 laceration marks. An initial 1983 inquest failed to identify his killers. However, members of the covert police death squad Vlakplaas later admitted to abducting and brutally murdering Mxenge. Former Vlakplaas commander Dirk Coetzee testified before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1996 about his involvement and was granted amnesty, a decision that sparked outrage among Mxenge’s family and supporters.
Similarly, the case of Booyi Mantyi, who was killed by police in 1985 for allegedly throwing stones, is under renewed scrutiny. The original inquest in De Aar ruled that no one was responsible, but a newly identified eyewitness has prompted the Northern Cape High Court to reopen the investigation. Justice Minister Lamola acknowledged the emotional toll of revisiting these cases, stating, “With these inquests, we open very real wounds which are more difficult to open 30 years into our democracy. But nonetheless, the interest of justice can be bound by time. The truth must prevail.”
The government’s decision to revisit these cases comes amid mounting pressure from families and activists who have long demanded accountability for apartheid-era atrocities. According to AP, President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an inquiry into allegations that investigations into political killings were deliberately blocked by authorities, including by previous ANC-led governments. The announcement has drawn mixed reactions across South African society. Some, like X user Xola Nqola, expressed hope that justice would finally be served. Others, such as Lerato Tsebe and Victor Libele, voiced skepticism, suggesting that the timing—just weeks before a general election—was politically motivated. “This is just playing politics and buying time to get votes,” Libele wrote, referencing the amnesty previously granted to Mxenge’s killers.
The reopened inquests are not limited to Luthuli, Mxenge, and Mantyi. The government has also ordered a new investigation into the 1977 death in police custody of Steve Biko, another iconic anti-apartheid figure whose killing shocked the world. These efforts reflect a broader reckoning with South Africa’s past, as the country continues to grapple with the legacy of apartheid and the slow, often painful process of truth and reconciliation.
Despite the passage of time, the wounds of apartheid remain raw for many South Africans. The families of Luthuli, Mxenge, Mantyi, and Biko have waited decades for answers, justice, and closure. As user Totwe Sekgetho wrote on social media, there is hope that “the affected families will finally find closure.” Yet, the journey toward accountability is far from over. The new findings have reignited debates over the adequacy of post-apartheid justice and the political will to confront uncomfortable truths, even when they implicate the institutions of the present as well as the past.
For now, the court’s ruling on Luthuli’s death stands as a powerful testament to the enduring struggle for justice in South Africa—a struggle that, while delayed, has not been denied. The truth, as Judge Hadebe and the country’s legal system have affirmed, can never be buried forever.
