PILLAR TO POST: Biko inquest investigator tells of missing records, incomplete dockets
An investigator probing Steve Biko’s death was sent from pillar to post by missing records and incomplete dockets, but uncovered a key witness account before the long-awaited inquest reopened.
An investigator tasked with examining Steve Biko's death faced significant challenges as she sought to piece together the circumstances surrounding the anti-apartheid activist's demise. Sergeant Fundiswa Dingiswayo, an officer with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), was sent from pillar to post by missing records and incomplete dockets when she was assigned the investigation in August 2021.
Despite these obstacles, Dingiswayo managed to secure a crucial affidavit from a former prison inmate who treated Biko in prison shortly before his own death. Gabriel Ndlovu, a former detainee at Pretoria Central Prison, provided key details about Biko's condition when he arrived at the prison - bruised, unable to speak, and with signs of assault.
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