Investigation into Steve Biko’s murder reopened
South African prosecutors have decided to dust off one of the most emblematic cases of the anti-apartheid struggle: the death of Steve Biko. And they will do so with symbolic timing: the 48th anniversary of his death on 12 September 1977, a day that turned his name into a global rallying cry against racial segregation.
Biko, founder of the Black Consciousness Movement, was arrested on 18 August 1977 for “violating” restrictions on his movement. Held naked and shackled in a Port Elizabeth police station, he endured repeated torture. His fate was sealed when he was transferred in inhumane conditions to Pretoria, 750 miles away, where he died the next day from massive brain injuries.
At the time, police claimed he had “hit his head against a wall.” Decades later, at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, some officers insisted he struck his head after attacking a policeman with a chair. Medical evidence and testimonies tell another story: prolonged torture and a final beating.
The National Prosecuting Authority says its aim is to bring evidence before the court to determine whether crimes were committed. The case joins other reopened apartheid-era investigations, such as the death of Nobel laureate Albert Luthuli (1967) and the Cradock Four killings (1985).
Steve Biko’s legacy transcends the courtroom: he inspired songs (Biko by Peter Gabriel), films (Cry Freedom, starring Denzel Washington) and speeches. Nelson Mandela called him “the spark that lit a veld fire across South Africa.”
Nearly half a century later, South Africa speaks his name once again. And the world listens.
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