The Lion of the North Peter Nchabeleng is Murdered in Detention
Peter Nchabeleng: A Towering Giant of Our Revolutionary Alliance
“An indomitable warrior of our people, whose contribution to the struggle for the freedom of our people, decorated the length and breadth of the galaxy of all revolutionaries. Indeed, his revolutionary spirit will continue to imbue his final resting place as one of the most important theatres of our revolutionary struggle. We shall forever cherish his huge, and magnanimous, contribution to the struggle for the liberation of our people.” – African National Congress (17–23 April 2020) –
Exactly forty years ago, on 11 April 1986, while on his way home from a United Democratic Front (UDF) meeting in Mankweng, Turfloop, approximately 27 kilometres east of Pietersburg (now Polokwane), Nchabeleng was told that police were looking for him. He continued his journey arguing that if police were looking for him, they would find him at home. When he arrived at home, Lebowa police detained him.
Nchabeleng passed away on 11 April 1986 at the Schoonoordt police station – 13 hours after he was detained by the Lebowa police. His passing sparked protests and condemnation throughout the country and abroad as well as a consumer boycott of white towns in the Northern Transvaal. After his passing, his body was hidden from his family by the police until it was found in a government morgue in Groblersdal. Nine members of the Lebowa police’s Mankwen
