POSTPONEMENT SOUGHT: Biko family wants to halt inquest into activist’s death
The Biko family plans to ask the Gqeberha High Court to halt the reopened Steve Biko inquest. The legal team said it needed sufficient time to consult with Biko’s widow.
The Biko family is seeking to halt the reopened inquest into the death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, which occurred on 12 September 1977. The family's legal team needs time to consult with Biko's widow and prepare an affidavit detailing relevant information. The Gqeberha High Court initially scheduled the application for Tuesday, but has now set it for Wednesday to allow sufficient time for the legal team to present evidence.
The family argues that the matter is not ready to proceed and cites concerns over the advanced age of two surviving persons of interest and the potential for their memories to fade. The two men, Daniel Petrus Siebert and Jacobus Johannes Oosthuysen Beneke, both aged 80 and 76 respectively, have already indicated they cannot remember certain events surrounding Biko's death.
Their testimony has included apparent discrepancies with their previous statements to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1997 and the original inquest in November 1977.
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