Historic 'Cosas 4' trial set to start on Monday
The Foundation for Human Rights hopes family and friends of the "Cosas 4" will finally see justice some 22 years after the commissioning of the crime.
On Monday, the two surviving men responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Eustice ‘Bimbo’ Madikela, Peter “Ntshingo” Matabane, Fanyana Nhlapo, and the attempted murder of Zandisile Musi in 1982, will go on trial in the High Court in Johannesburg.
The four anti-apartheid activists were members of the Congress of South African Students and were known as the "Cosas 4".
The trial against Christiaan Siebert Rorich and Thlomedi Ephraim Mfalapitsa is expected to run until 1 September.
The facts were told by the two accused when they applied for amnesty in May 1999 before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
However, the TRC denied them amnesty because it said there was no evidence the perpetrators were stopping a political act or were forced by the apartheid regime to kill the students.
The foundation's Zaid Kimmie says "it will be the first time that charges under international law, specifically the crime against humanity of murder and the crime against humanity of apartheid, will be brought against two individuals in a SA court”.
"We commend the NPA for bringing this matter to trial," Kimmie sais.
"It is only the third case that has been scheduled for trial out of several cases that should have been prosecuted. And even in all of those cases, not a single day of an actual hearing has taken place.
"We hope that Monday will be the first day where an actual criminal trial takes place. This trial has been delayed for several years because the SAPS refuse to cover the legal costs of the policemen who are accused of murdering the three activists and severely injuring the fourth.
"Time is running out and in order to resolve these cases we need to see a demonstrated action from the police and the NPA. We hope that will be the case."
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