Griffiths Mxenge was a human rights lawyer and defended political detainees and activists at great personal risk.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has rejected the Pietermaritzburg High Court ruling that dismissed further investigation into the 1981 murder of human rights activist lawyer Griffiths Mxenge.
The inquest was reopened in 2023 by then Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Ronald Lamola, following a prosecution-guided investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI).
The inquest was expected to shed light on the circumstances of Mxenge’s death and whether a murder case should be reopened. However, the court ruled there was no reasonable legal grounds for further investigation, arguing that the perpetrators had already been convicted of Mxenge’s death, but later granted amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), which had applied for the inquest, said the court found the matter had already been subjected to a formal inquest.
