GQEBERHA — Former apartheid police commander Eugene de Kock testified at an inquiry in Gqeberha on March 23, 2026, into the 1985 killing of four anti-apartheid activists. De Kock denied involvement in the case of the Cradock Four during his testimony.

The inquiry is part of South Africa's renewed efforts to investigate atrocities committed by security forces during the apartheid era. A new inquiry into the killings began in 2025 after pressure from the victims' families.

De Kock said that at the time police had photographs of about 6,000 anti-apartheid activists labeled "known terrorists" who should be tracked and killed if not arrested. He said the Cradock Four were not among those activists.

The Cradock Four consisted of Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sicelo Mhlauli and Sparrow Mkonto. In 1985, the four men were abducted by police at a roadblock and killed. Their bodies were found burned.

De Kock said that one of the police officers implicated in the killings asked him to acquire another firearm and to interfere with ballistics evidence. The judge ruled that de Kock's image not be shown during the video broadcast of the hearing, resulting in his image being blurred, according to the Foundation for Human Rights.

De Kock served as a police commander under the apartheid government and was nicknamed "Prime Evil" for his role in killing anti-apartheid activists. He was the commander of a special counterinsurgency police unit during apartheid. In 1996, de Kock was sentenced to two life terms and an additional 212 years in prison after being convicted of murder, kidnapping and other charges related to abducting, torturing and killing activists. He was released on parole in 2015. As of March 2026, de Kock was 77 years old.

A 1987 inquiry found that the Cradock Four were killed by unknown persons. A 1993 inquiry found that the Cradock Four were killed by unnamed police officers. Six former policemen implicated in the killings were identified but denied amnesty during the late 1990s Truth and Reconciliation process and were never prosecuted. All six of the former policemen implicated in the killings have died.

In 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered a separate inquiry to determine whether post-apartheid governments led by his party intentionally blocked investigations and prosecutions of apartheid-era crimes. South African authorities have reopened investigations into other apartheid-era atrocities in recent years, including the 1977 death in police custody of anti-apartheid figure Steve Biko, the 1981 killing of lawyer Griffiths Mxenge, and the 1967 death of Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Luthuli.

The Foundation for Human Rights represents some of the families of the victims of the Cradock Four. Three of the Cradock Four were teachers.