Remains of woman killed by Mandela Club 'coach' to be handed to family

14 March 2019 - 13:04 By ERNEST MABUZA
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Justice Minister Michael Masutha is to present the remains of of six anti-apartheid activists to their families in Pretoria on Saturday.
Justice Minister Michael Masutha is to present the remains of of six anti-apartheid activists to their families in Pretoria on Saturday.
Image: Sino Majangaza

Justice Minister Michael Masutha will on Saturday hand over the exhumed remains of six anti-apartheid activists on Saturday at Freedom Park in Pretoria.

One of the notable remains that will be presented to the families is the one of Kuki  Zwane, a woman who was killed by members of the Mandela United Football Club in 1988.

The “club” coach, Jerry Richardson, applied for amnesty for Zwane’s killing.

At the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearing in Mayfair, in December 1997, Richardson claimed the late struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela had ordered the killing of Zwane, after labelling her a police informer when Zwane disobeyed her orders.

Richardson described how he killed Zwane, aged 23, and dumped her body near Orlando railway station in Soweto.

“I stabbed her, I slit her throat. We dumped her body there,” Richardson testified.

Richardson died in prison in 2009 while he was still serving a life imprisonment term for the killing of another activist Stompie Seipei.

Masutha said on Thursday the  ceremonial handover of remains formed part of the department of justice’s efforts to implement the recommendations made by the TRC, and which aimed to bring closure to the families of those whose lives were lost due to political activities during the apartheid government.

The department said Masutha will also hand over the remains of four Pan Africanist Congress members from Krugersdorp who were hanged for political offences in the 1960s.

Masutha will also hand over the remains of Thabo Rammutle, an Umkhoto we Sizwe activist who was one of six activists killed by security branch police in an ambush in 1996.

The others who were killed in this incident have already been identified and their bodies were handed over to their families.

The department said the perpetrators were granted amnesty by the TRC.


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