John Vorster Square

Witness and forensic expert cast further doubt on official version of Mabelane death

Fresh testimony at the reopened inquest into the death of anti-apartheid activist, Matthews "Mojo" Mabelane, has raised further questions about conditions inside apartheid-era detention facilities, while a forensic pathologist has highlighted significant flaws in the original investigation. The Johannesburg High Court heard evidence on Friday from former student activist, Chippa Joseph Dikgole, who described prolonged interrogations, assaults and psychological intimidation by Security Branch officers following his arrest in 1977. Dikgole, […]

June 5, 2026 79

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Witness testimony and forensic evidence challenge official account of Mabelane’s death

Nearly five decades after anti-apartheid activist, Matthews "Mojo" Mabelane, died in police detention, witness testimony and forensic evidence presented at the reopened inquest are increasingly casting doubt on the apartheid-era account that he jumped to his death from the tenth floor of John Vorster Square. On the third day of proceedings in the Johannesburg High Court, the court heard evidence that sharply contradicts the findings of the original 1977 inquest, […]

June 3, 2026 143 1

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Physics, architecture deepen doubts in Mabelane death narrative

The reopened inquest into the death of anti-apartheid activist, Matthews "Mojo" Mabelane, is increasingly shifting from witness testimony to questions of physics and building design, as experts argue that the official account of a suicide fall from the 10th floor of the former police headquarters may not align with physical evidence. At the Johannesburg High Court, both the State and the Mabelane family continue to challenge the apartheid-era finding that […]

June 2, 2026 141 4

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State alleges systematic cover-up as reopened Mabelane inquest begins

The Johannesburg High Court has heard allegations of a systematic cover-up in the way deaths in detention at the former John Vorster Square Police Station were investigated during apartheid, as the reopened inquest into the death of anti-apartheid activist Matthews "Mojo" Mabelane gets underway. The inquest is revisiting the circumstances surrounding the death of the 22-year-old activist, who died in police detention in February 1977, less than a year after […]

June 1, 2026 61