Media statement To all media and human rights reporters For immediate release 13 November 2026
The re-opened inquest into the enforced disappearance of anti-apartheid activist Ramatua Nicholas Majestic “Boiki” Tlhapi will start on Monday 16 November 2026 in the Mahikeng High Court.
Tlhapi, who was from Ikageng township in Potchefstroom, was 26 years old at the time of his arrest in 1986 while on his way to a funeral. He was detained by members of the notorious riot squad at Stilfontein police station, where he and 11 others were allegedly severely assaulted and tortured. According to evidence previously brought forward by witnesses, Tlhapi was last seen lying lifeless on the floor and bleeding from his nose, ears and mouth.
Members of the former South African Police (SAP) alleged that Tlhapi was released from custody, but his family and friends have not seen him since his arrest. They have been searching for him—or his remains—ever since.
In 1995 an inquest, presided over by Magistrate D J Nel at Klerksdorp Magistrates Court, found that on the available evidence, it could not conclude that Tlhapi had died. However, the court allegedly failed to call key witnesses and obtain crucial evidence to question the former SAP members’ account of what took place.
While the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) investigated the matter, no one has ever applied for amnesty for Tlhapi’s kidnapping, disappearance and likely murder.
All the police officers in the case have closed ranks, except for George Mbathu, one of the three surviving persons of interest. He has alleged that he was informed by riot squad members that Tlhapi’s body was thrown down a disused mine shaft.
Mbathu, who was a member of the enquiry unit, not the riot squad, has also denied participating in the assault and torture of the detainees himself. However, some of Tlhapi’s co-detainees allege that he assaulted them. The other two surviving persons of interest, Itumeleng Moses Matiti and Ignatius Johannes Venter, are former riot squad members and deny involvement in the interrogation and torture of Tlhapi and his companions, claiming that they only performed administrative duties.
Justice for the Tlhapi family
The inquest will hear evidence from Tlhapi’s family and former co-detainees. It is also expected to hear testimony from member of parliament China Dodovu on the political situation in Ikageng at the time of Tlhapi’s arrest. The court will conduct in loco inspections at the Stilfontein police station and possibly at the mine shaft where Tlhapi’s remains were allegedly discarded.
The delay in obtaining justice for their son’s death has caused Tlhapi’s parents immeasurable heart break. Prior to his passing in 2020, Boiki’s father, James Barileng Tlhapi, expressed his anguish in an interview with City Press in 2017: “How can I sleep at night knowing my son’s body, which was last seen battered and bloodied in a police station office, might have been lying at the bottom of a disused mine shaft for the past 30 years?”
The Tlhapi family is one of 25 families and survivors of TRC cases who have launched a claim for constitutional damages against the Presidency, government, the National Prosecuting Authority and the South African Police Service. They accuse the state institutions of violating their rights by failing to investigate and prosecute their cases. The Khampepe commission is currently investigating allegations of political interference in the investigation and prosecution of TRC cases.
Boiki’s brother Mogapi hopes that the inquest will now proceed without any further delays:” We hope this will bring closure to the family. For 40 years we haven’t known where our brother is since he was arrested by the notorious SAP and detained at Stilfontein.”
The Foundation for Human Rights (FHR) stands in solidarity with the Tlhapi family in their pursuit of justice. The family is represented in the inquest on a pro bono basis by Bowmans, and advocates Mbuso Majozi and Tshiamo Kwape as counsel. The proceedings will be live streamed, and a link will be shared prior to the start of the inquest.
Any person who was detained, assaulted or tortured for their political activities by Stilfontein, Jouberton or Potchefstroom SAP in or around 1986, who is willing to give evidence at the inquest, is asked to contact the FHR on 011 593 4000 or via email on info@fhr.org.za.
Statement issued by the Foundation for Human Rights and Bowmans
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Enquiries: media@fhr.org.za or 072 905 7696
