Apartheid govt killed Chief Albert Luthuli due to his international influence, says grandson
Luthuli died in 1967 with the apartheid government saying he was hit by a train but the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is disputing that.
JOHANNESBURG - The grandson of Chief Albert Luthuli says the African National Congress (ANC) struggle stalwart was killed by the apartheid government because of growing international influence.
Luthuli died in 1967 with the apartheid government saying he was hit by a train but the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is disputing that.
On Thursday, Mthunzi Luthuli testified at the reopened inquest into his grandfather’s death.
The inquest is being held at the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg
In 1960, Chief Albert Luthuli won the Nobel Peace Prize for his activism against apartheid.
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In 1966, the US president flew to South Africa to meet with Luthuli who at the time was the president general of the banned African National Congress (ANC).
Mthunzi says it was clear the apartheid government was aggrieved by the influence his grandfather wielded both domestically and nationally.
“Luthuli was always under surveillance. Our home was under constant surveillance by government via what used to be called the Special Branch of the SAP. Sometimes we would wake up with police armed to the teeth all around the yard searching for one thing or the other.”
The inquest continues on Tuesday.