The South African government has returned the exhumed remains of Benjamin Moloise and Abraham Mngomezulu—two anti-apartheid activists executed during white minority rule—to their families, four decades after their deaths.
At a solemn handover ceremony held in Soweto on Saturday, relatives of the two men received the remains, which had been buried in unmarked graves. The event took place amid renewed efforts to address unresolved crimes from the apartheid era and ongoing frustration over the slow pace of justice.
Benjamin Moloise, a poet and member of the African National Congress (ANC), was 30 when he was hanged in 1985 for allegedly killing a security policeman—an accusation he denied. His execution sparked widespread unrest in South Africa and drew condemnation from around the world. The United Nations called for clemency, and Pope John Paul II publicly denounced the hanging, calling it a source of anguish in an already unjust situation.
Alongside Moloise, the remains of 23-year-old Abraham Mngomezulu were also returned. Mngomezulu was executed in 1989 after being implicated in protests against forced evictions, during which a person was killed. The government confirmed both men were laid to rest in unmarked graves, without the presence or knowledge of their families.
Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi noted that 74 other victims of political executions have previously been reburied with full recognition. She said the state remains committed to honoring those who gave their lives for South Africa’s liberation and ensuring their stories are not forgotten.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced a judicial inquiry into the delays in prosecuting apartheid-era crimes. While the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), established in 1996, held thousands of hearings and offered conditional amnesty, very few trials followed. Investigations into politically suspicious deaths—including that of ANC leader and Nobel laureate Albert Luthuli, who died under mysterious circumstances in 1967—have been reopened in 2025.
Officials described Saturday’s ceremony as a step forward in the country’s journey toward justice and national healing.
