Cape Town – The ANC in the Western Cape has called on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to reopen the murder investigation of freedom fighter Ashley Kriel.
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the authority was not responsible for investigations. “It is the responsibility of the police to arrest and investigate. We only prosecute.”
Thirty-three years ago to the day, the 20-year-old Kriel was killed in Hazendal, Athlone, by members of the apartheid state’s security forces. He was killed for his role in advocating anti-apartheid actions.
“We have always maintained that the soldier in the people’s army, Umkhonto we Sizwe, was murdered. We were not convinced by the story told about his death to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
"Even if one of the policemen involved in the young guerilla’s death was given amnesty by the TRC, we are still not persuaded that the full truth has come out.
“We call on the NPA to investigate this state-sponsored killing without any further delay. Appropriately, on Sunday, the ANC Athlone Parliamentary Office and the Ashley Kriel Foundation will hold a Zoom session at 11am to discuss our comrade’s contribution, as well as reflect on the youth of the 1980s. We commend that generation for their contribution to our freedom,” the party said.
Anti-apartheid activist and co-commander of the Ashley Kriel Detachment Shirley Gunn said Kriel’s legacy continues to reach, teach and inspire young people.
Gunn and fellow activist Shanil Haricharan co-edited the book Voices from the Underground, which tells the story of the Umkhonto we Sizwe’s Ashley Kriel Detachment.
“Members of the Ashley Kriel Detachment continue to mourn the loss of comrade Ashley, 33 years on. He was hunted, persecuted and eventually killed by the security police because he was so much loved and revered by the youth and broader mass democratic movement.
“Having emerged from a humble, loving home in Bonteheuwel, Comrade Ashley’s legacy continues to reach, teach and inspire young people to this day, way beyond the confines of his township, and globally. A luta continua,” said Gunn.
Kriel’s older sister, Michel Assure, has appealed to the president to prioritise the cases of people who were killed by apartheid police officers.
“As a family we closely followed the Ahmed Timol case. Somebody from the Hawks visited me and said they wanted to reopen an inquest, which we saw as a victory for South Africans.
"Why should our government wait for us to reopen cases? We want nothing but the truth. It hurts tremendously, I feel like we can’t endure the pain anymore.
“The justice system has failed us. We are not the only ones who are seeking justice from the government; others have died without knowing what happened to their loved ones and some were misled about the death of their loved ones,” said Assure.