CALA- Nearly four decades after the brutal killing of anti-apartheid activist Bathandwa Ndondo, a former Transkei Security Branch officer has finally appeared in court to face justice. Gcinisiko Dandala (67), a former member of the notorious apartheid-era police unit, briefly appeared in the Cala Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, charged with Ndondo’s 1985 murder.
The case has been postponed to 11 December 2025 for Dandala to confirm his legal representation. He was released on warning.
Ndondo, a respected community leader and activist was gunned down on 24 September 1985 in Cala during the height of apartheid repression, a killing that sent shockwaves through the Eastern Cape and became emblematic of the brutality faced by freedom fighters in the former Transkei.
According to the Eastern Cape National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Dandala’s earlier bid for amnesty before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was denied.
During those hearings, he reportedly claimed that he and others were acting under orders and feared being killed by Askaris former liberation fighters turned police informants if they disobeyed.
Furthermore the state alleges that Dandala, along with another now-deceased Security Branch member and two Askaris, was instructed by the Transkei homeland government to arrest Ndondo. On the day of his death, the group allegedly arrived at Ndondo’s Cala Village home, found him with fellow activist Thobile Bam, and took him away under the guise of questioning.
The NPA said the revival of this case forms part of its renewed effort to bring apartheid-era perpetrators to justice.
EC NPA spokesperson emphasised that, “With this trial, we hope that the envisaged conviction will bring much-needed closure to the victim’s family and the broader public.”
Ndondo’s murder remains a painful reminder of South Africa’s violent past and a powerful testament to the enduring pursuit of justice, even 40 years later.
Photograph: supplied
