{
  "id": 6320405,
  "title": "POSTPONEMENT SOUGHT: Biko family wants to halt inquest into activist’s death",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/postponement-sought-biko-family-wants-to-halt-inquest-into-activists",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-08T20:16:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Maverick",
    "slug": "daily-maverick",
    "url": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-08-biko-family-wants-to-halt-inquest-into-activists-death/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "The Biko family is seeking to halt the reopened inquest into the death of Steve Biko. According to the Daily Maverick, the family's legal team wants to postpone the proceedings to consult with Biko's widow.\n\nThe family's legal representative, Sakhela Ngqiqo, has applied for an urgent postponement to obtain a critical affidavit and documents from the 1977 inquest, which need to be translated from Afrikaans into English. The SABC News reports that Judge Isaac Madondo initially refused the application due to time constraints.\n\nThe urgent application will be heard by the Gqeberha High Court, after the court ordered that all parties involved in the inquest must be consulted. The court will verify that all parties have been served before hearing the matter.",
  "key_points": [
    "Biko family seeks to halt reopened inquest into Steve Biko's 1977 death.",
    "Legal team needs time to consult with Biko's widow and prepare affidavit.",
    "Concerns over age of two surviving persons of interest and potential memory loss."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "SABC News",
        "title": "Biko family turns to court to pause inquest proceedings",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/biko-family-turns-to-court-to-pause-inquest-proceedings",
        "published": "2026-09-08T18:38:36.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}