Nkosinathi Biko
Framed under the theme “Power and Activism for Total Liberation and Justice in South Africa,” the gathering was a call to action urging South Africans to confront uncomfortable truths, honour the sacrifices of heroes like Bantu Stephen Biko, and carry forward the unfinished struggle for justice and true freedom.
It was a reminder to South Africans that the struggle for justice and equality is far from over.
Chief Executive Officer of the Steve Biko Foundation, Nkosinathi Biko, son of the Black Consciousness leader, spoke with emotion about the unfinished work of national healing. He said South Africa has still not faced its painful past honestly, and this failure is holding the country back today.
“The relationship with Azapo dates back to 1977,” he said, recalling the year his father was killed in police custody. He explained how the banning of Black Consciousness-inspired groups was not only about politics.
“It extended to journalists, youth and women’s organisations, labour movements, even artists and churches influenced by Black theology.” For him, the movement went deeper than party politics, it touched every part of society.
Biko said this was the climate that gave birth to the Azanian People’s Organisation (Azapo). Later, Azapo joined with the Biko and Mhlanga families in a 1997 court case against the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Amnesty Act. Their worry was that amnesty would let perpetrators escape accountability. “We lost that case,” Biko said, “but it wasn’t because we were wrong, we were just swimming against the tide.”
He reminded the audience that the TRC itself identified over 300 cases that should have gone to court. Yet very few prosecutions followed.
“Earlier today, I was in court again, for the Biko matter. For the reopening of the inquest into my father’s death,” he shared.
“My younger brother was two. My mother was 31. She’s about to turn 80. Thirty-one of those years have been under democracy.”
His voice grew heavy as he connected the past to today’s struggles. “How can we commit to fixing today’s issues, with 54% of our people living beneath the breadline, and over 40% youth unemployment, if we haven’t even honoured the basics from the past?” For him, this is not only about his family. “The Constitution guarantees two rights: the right to life and the right to dignity. Both were denied to Steve Biko.”
Even so, he ended on a note of hope, pointing to other reopened inquests, such as those of Ahmed Timol and Imam Haron. “This is our country,” he said firmly. “We must recommit to pursuing the justice we are still owed.”
The South African Senior Counsel, Advocate, and Founding Chairperson of the Pan African Bar Association of South Africa, Dr Advocate Sikhakhane, followed with a fiery speech about the power of truth. Quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson, he said one must choose between truth and comfort.
“Truth we must tell, no matter what the circumstances, and we must tell it today even if it kills us,” he declared. He described Steve Biko as a prophet of liberation, a torchbearer, and a lover of black life.
Biko’s death, he said, was the result of his fearless honesty. His courage, pride, and self-love, Sikhakhane argued, remain key to true freedom. Reflecting on his visit to Biko’s grave earlier that day, he said, “life judges us by two things: what we do, which is activism, and what we tolerate, which is betrayal.”
Dr Adelaide Karomo from the University’s Transformation Office, added her voice with a strong reflection on justice. Drawing from Proverbs 31’s call to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,” she spoke about the need to dismantle patriarchy and recognise the vital role of African women in the struggle.
From leaders like Albertina Sisulu to the many unnamed women who gave structure and strength, their work, she said, must be honoured. Turning to the youth, she encouraged young people to use technology not just for distraction, but for activism and learning. She also called for unity across Africa, warning that political freedom means little without economic freedom. Her closing words were heartfelt: “Rest well, well Bantu Biko.”
Finally, Nosiphiwe Manona, Azapo’s secretary for publicity and information, looked to the future. She said while many in her generation had been “swallowed by the system,” the presence of young learners in the audience gave her hope. Pointing to students, she called them “the graduates of tomorrow.” With conviction, she added: “Right there, we are planting a seed, a seed that will surpass our lifetime.”