The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) welcomes the historic ruling of the KwaZulu-Natal High Court, Pietermaritzburg, which has overturned the 1967 inquest and found that Chief Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli was beaten to death by apartheid police, not killed in a train accident.
This judgment finally shatters the apartheid-era cover-up and restores the truth and dignity owed to Chief Luthuli, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, President-General of the ANC, and a towering leader of our people.
Why this matters
• The court’s ruling corrects a 58-year lie that claimed a train accident, and confirms that Luthuli was assaulted and killed by agents of the apartheid state.
• Government has formally acknowledged the court decision setting aside the old inquest, underscoring the gravity of this finding for our democracy and historical record.
Our message to workers and the nation
Chief Luthuli’s life and death speak directly to today’s struggles. The same machinery of secrecy, violence and impunity that tried to bury the truth then has modern echoes in the exploitation of workers, corruption, and the erosion of public goods. This ruling is a mandate to defend truth, protect organisers and whistle-blowers, and deepen people’s power.
SAFTU’s call
1. Accountability: We call on the National Prosecuting Authority to act on the court’s findings and pursue all avenues to hold those implicated in the killing and its cover-up to account.
2. Memorialisation and education: Update national curricula, museum exhibits and public memorials to reflect the court’s ruling and the true circumstances of Luthuli’s assassination.
3. Protection of activists today: Strengthen protections for workers, community leaders and investigators who expose abuse and corruption.
SAFTU salutes the Luthuli family, the legal teams, journalists and institutions who persisted until justice prevailed. We recommit to Chief Luthuli’s vision of a free, non-racial, democratic and socialist South Africa, and to a society where no worker lives in fear and no truth can be buried.
A Statement was issued on behalf of SAFTU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.
For media inquiries, contact the National Spokesperson at
Newton Masuku at:
Newton@saftu.org.za
0661682157
Media Officer
Asive Dyani
0719019564
