Steve Biko to be commemorated after 42 years after his death
Apart from Nelson Mandela, Black Consciousness leader, Steve Biko symbolised the struggle against apartheid.
On September 12 1977, Stephen Bantu Biko died in a prison cell in Pretoria.
The announcement of Biko’s death by the South African government the next day sparked international and national protest, Mpumalanga News reports.
Although his death was attributed to “a prison accident,” evidence presented during the 15-day inquest into Biko’s death revealed otherwise.
A blow in a scuffle with security police led to him suffering brain damage by the time he was driven naked and manacled in the back of a police van to Pretoria, where he died.
His son Nkosinathi launched the Steve Biko Foundation, which has become a non-profit organisation with a large presence in the Eastern Cape.
In 2013, the institute celebrated the opening of a large community centre in Ginsberg, in King William’s Town.
The foundation promotes debates on current issues and is growing into a valuable resource in Biko’s hometown.
Read original story on mpumalanganews.co.za
