Twenty-five families of victims and survivors of political crimes from South Africa’s apartheid era have filed a lawsuit against President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing his administration of failing to adequately investigate and deliver justice for these atrocities. The legal action, seeking around 167 million rand (approximately $9 million) in damages, was filed on Monday in Pretoria’s High Court and later publicized by the Foundation for Human Rights, an NGO supporting the families.
In addition to the financial claims, the families are requesting a court order mandating Ramaphosa to establish a commission of inquiry into the political interference that has allegedly led to the suppression of investigations into serious crimes committed during apartheid.
A representative for President Ramaphosa stated that the legal team would address the court documents, asserting that the president has never interfered with law enforcement or directed them to refrain from prosecuting apartheid-era crimes.
South Africa was ruled by a white minority government until 1994, when the country transitioned to a multi-racial democracy. Since then, the African National Congress (ANC) has been in power, although it lost its majority in the 2024 election and now shares authority with smaller parties.

The lead applicant in the lawsuit is Lukhanyo Calata, whose father, Fort Calata, was one of the “Cradock Four” – anti-apartheid activists who were murdered in 1985. Despite multiple inquiries over the years, no one has been held accountable for these killings, and a third inquest is set to begin later this year, though many key figures involved in the crimes have passed away.
“The prolonged delay in achieving justice has effectively ensured that our families are denied justice forever,” said Lukhanyo Calata.
Other plaintiffs in the case include two survivors of the 1993 Highgate Massacre, in which five people were killed by masked assailants at a hotel bar, as well as relatives of other anti-apartheid activists who were murdered or disappeared during the apartheid era.