Reopened inquest into Steve Biko’s death to resume on Wednesday

The reopened inquest into the death of Steve Biko is set to reconvene on Wednesday at the Gqeberha High Court in the Eastern Cape. Judge Isaac Madondo will decide whether to grant the application submitted by the Biko Family's lawyer, Ngqiqo Sakhele, for a postponement. Sakhele informed Judge Madondo that they require additional time to review numerous pages of records from the initial inquest in 1977.

Many of these documents need to be translated from Afrikaans to English. According to Sakhele, the translations could not have been completed before Tuesday's hearing, as the Department of Justice only approved covering their legal costs on Monday. Sakhele also mentioned the need to subpoena witnesses like Craig Williamson, who testified in the Cradock Four inquest.

Williamson's testimony positioned him as a key figure in Biko's surveillance prior to his arrest by apartheid police. Sakhele emphasized the importance of examining the documentation from IUEF and ensuring Williamson's testimony is cross-examined in detail. Failure to do so, he argued, would be an injustice to those responsible for Biko's death.