OPINIONS & PERSPECTIVES: Remembering Stephen Bantu Biko Is A Struggle Against Amnesia

Today (September 12, 2026) marks the 49th anniversary of the brutal murder of anti-apartheid activist and Black Consciousness pioneer, Steve Bantu Biko by the apartheid police at the youthful age of 31. This day is usually marked with commemorative events such as memorial lectures, laying of wreaths and an outpouring of messages of solidarity on social media.

These events bear testimony to the enduring legacy of the Black Consciousness philosophy that Biko and his peers so eloquently espoused. It is also remarkable that the younger generations who were born decades after Biko's death have actively embraced his teachings of being proud of their identity, justice and solidarity among black people across the diaspora, critical thinking and a dedication to community service.

This year, however, will have a poignantly different tone to the commemoration. It is the year in which yet another inquest has been opened in an attempt to get to the truth about who ordered the brutal torture and murder of Biko and how exactly this was executed. This inquest was preceded by the disgraceful farcade of the November 1977 hearing, in which the murderers investigated themselves and unsurprisingly declared that Biko died after a scuffle with the police and therefore none of them could be held responsible for Biko's death. This was followed by submissions made at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission by conspirators to the murder.

One of the most painful tragedies of our democracy is that, by omission or commission, none of the five apartheid police officers who confessed their roles in Biko's murder, and were denied amnesty by the TRC in 1999, were ever prosecuted. All indications from the ongoing Khampepe Commission into the TRC cases are that we are not likely to get any conclusive determination why this gross injustice took place.

As we remember Biko, we should spare a thought for his wife, Sis Ntsiki, their children and the rest of the family who once again have to endure trauma. This time triggered by the compound experience of the 1977 inquest, TRC hearings, Khampepe Commission and the current inquest at the Gqeberha High Court. No family deserves to be put under such perpetual agony and suffering. The family, just like the families of the Cradock Four, Nokuthula Simelane and all other victims of apartheid murders are fully justified in their relentless pursuit of the truth, even as many of the conspirators have died.