By REGINALD KANYANE
13 October 2026 – A joint inquest into the deaths of anti-apartheid activists Sipho Samuel Hashe, Qaqawuli Godolozi and Twasile Champion Galela, collectively known as the PEBCO Three, has began at the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Gqeberha on 12 October 2026. The inquest aims to establish the facts surrounding the abduction and deaths of the three leaders of the Port Elizabeth Black Civic Organisation (PEBCO), which was affiliated with the United Democratic Front (UDF).
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Eastern Cape regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the decision to hold the inquest followed a request by the National Director of Public Prosecutions to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, based on recommendations from the Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions.
“The inquest is expected to run for five days. Witness testimony will be preceded by inspections in loco at Post Chalmers, near Cradock, and at Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport,” Tyali said.
Hashe, Godolozi and Galela disappeared on 8 May 1985 after leaving their homes to meet a prospective donor at what was then known as Hendrik Verwoerd Airport, now Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport.
Their fate remained unknown until November 1997, when former Security Branch police officer Colonel Gideon Nieuwoudt applied for amnesty before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and confessed to participating in their abduction, robbery and murder.
According to the NPA, Nieuwoudt revealed that he had paid a police informant to pose as a British Embassy official and lure the three activists to a meeting under the pretext of discussing a possible donation to PEBCO.
Upon their arrival at the airport, Security Branch members allegedly abducted the three men and took them to an abandoned police station near Cradock known as Post Chalmers.
There, they were interrogated, stripped, beaten, repeatedly suffocated, drugged and strangled. Their bodies were reportedly burnt on a pyre soaked in diesel, while some of their remains were thrown into the nearby Fish River.
Tyali said 10 other Security Branch members, including askaris, also applied for amnesty in connection with the deaths.
Amnesty was granted to two applicants for conspiracy to commit murder, abduction and assault. Both have since died.
Following the TRC hearings, the Gqeberha High Court indicted Nieuwoudt, Johannes Martin “Sakkie” van Zyl and Johannes Koole. However, the matter could not proceed because of interlocutory applications and the subsequent deaths of all three accused.
Tyali said no formal inquest had previously been held into the deaths of the PEBCO Three, making the forthcoming proceedings necessary to establish the facts and examine the available evidence.
“No formal inquest has been held into the deaths of the PEBCO Three. It is therefore imperative that the facts and evidence be fully ventilated before an Inquest Court, which can then make any appropriate findings,” Tyali said.
The NPA said it would continue working with its partners to address atrocities committed during apartheid and support the victims’ families in their pursuit of answers and closure.
The inquest represents a renewed effort to formally examine the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and deaths of the three activists more than four decades ago.
taungda@gmail.com
