Ndondo was abducted, shot, and killed by a member of the Transkei Security Branch and a group of Vlakplaas askaris in Cala, Transkei, on 24 September 1985.
Forty years after the murder of student activist Bathandwa Ndondo, a 67-year-old former Security Branch officer made his first appearance in court in connection with the grim 1985 murder of the prominent student at the University of Transkei (Unitra).
Gcinisiko Lamont Dandala was handcuffed by the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State (Cats) unit under the Serious Organised Crime Investigation.
Charges
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tiyali said Dandala, who was a member of the notorious Transkei Security Branch (SB), appeared before the Cala Magistrate’s court on Tuesday, 4 November 2025.
Tiyali said Dandala is facing a charge of murder or conspiracy to commit murder.
“Dandala made his brief court appearance before the Cala Magistrate’s court on 4 November 2025, facing a charge of murder. The accused was released on warning, and the matter was remanded to 11 December 2025 for legal representation. He is out on warning.”
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Murder
Tiyali said that during a hearing at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) held in Mthatha on 17 June 1998, Dandala shared the chilling details of how they went to Cala on 24 September 1985 to arrest Ndondo.
“It is alleged that Ndondo was forcibly taken by members of the Security Branch, identified as Sergeant Mbuso Shabalala and Constable Gcinisiko Lamont Dandala, accompanied by two askaris, Gladstone Mose and Xolelwa Virginia Shosha. The group was reportedly travelling in a Toyota Hiace Combi with black-tinted windows.
“According to the available evidence, Ndondo reportedly attempted to flee by jumping from the moving vehicle. It is further alleged that he was subsequently shot and fatally wounded by the police officers involved,” Tiyali said.
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Student activist
In the apartheid context, askaris were ANC defectors who switched their allegiance to the apartheid regime.
Ndondo was an influential student leader and member of the Student Representative Council (SRC) at Unitra in 1985.
His activism and opposition to apartheid policies rendered him a target of the then Security Branch, resulting in multiple detentions under oppressive state security laws.
TRC legacy cases
Tiyali stated that the matter resurfaced following renewed consultations with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), during which it was resolved that the matter be formally converted into the Cala case for investigation under the TRC framework.
He said the investigation formed part of the TRC legacy cases, which seek to ensure accountability for politically motivated human rights violations committed during the apartheid era.
“After an extensive and meticulous investigation, the DPCI’s Cats investigators arrested Dandala, the only surviving suspect linked to the killing. The remaining implicated individuals have since passed away.
Amnesty
Tyali said Ndondo’s murder on 23 September, 40 years ago, remained one of the unsolved cases of anti-apartheid activists who died at the hands of the then authorities.
“The accused in this case did apply for amnesty before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).”
The provincial head of the DPCI, Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya, commended the Cats investigative team for their professionalism, “diligence, and perseverance in addressing cases of historical significance”.
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