File
The Fort Calata Foundation has lashed out at the National Prosecuting Authority after it said further investigations were required to unearth new evidence to prosecute those responsible for the 1985 murders of the Cradock Four.
This, after the NPA on Monday, provided reasons for not meeting a 2 December deadline to announce a prosecutorial decision, which the Foundation later described as wholly "unsatisfactory and inadequate".
The National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Shamila Batohi, and her Deputy, Rodney de Kock, briefed the media on this and other matters.
De Kock acknowledged that they had missed the deadline, saying that their investigators indicated that the murders may be a matter where there had been "superior orders given in terms of the killing of the Cradock 4."
"We need to find out whether there is any new evidence that could be unearthed to justify the role of any other individuals in a conspiracy to kill anyone within the country," he said.
"There's a long complex history to this particular case, including the initial phases of the prosecutors and investigators having to reconstruct the docket in this case. So, a lot of work has been done over the last few months to bring this matter to a point where prosecutors are able to make a decision," De Kock said.
"Unfortunately, with the best intentions in the world, we were not able to meet that, simply because the prosecutors are indicating that there are still aspects of this investigation that needs to be done. And, so that is our reality."
He said "there seems to be information that there were discussions regarding the Cradock 4 at very high-level meetings within the country. We need to find out whether there is any new evidence that could be unearthed to justify the role of any other individuals in a conspiracy to kill anyone within the country," De Kock said.
But, in a hard-hitting reaction, the Calata Foundation said they were "infuriated that all Batohi and De Kock could offer were excuses about already-established facts that the Cradock 4 murders were sanctioned by individuals in the highest echelons of the apartheid government, and therefore this required further investigation."
Spokesperson, Lukhanyo Calata, said the families deserve a prosecutorial decision sooner, rather than later, "and before any of the surviving high-profile suspects in the case die, without being held accountable for the crimes that they committed against the humanity of Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe, Sparrow Mkhonto, and Sicelo Mhlauli."
