Biko Murder Cover-up Exposed

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As the grisly details of the last days of anti-apartheid leader Steven Biko begin to emerge, news has been released that yet another black South African has died in police detention.

According to police reports, 18-year old schoolboy Bonaventura Malazi "hanged himself" in the Krugersdorp security police headquarters.last week.

This brings the deaths of black detainees in South African jails this year to 21.

The news comes as the =best into the death of 33:5 People's Convention iader Steve Biko unambig andy points the finger al South Airica's Security Police as ihe ones responsible for his Biko died on the night of Sercease: 11 12 last, official as i at of a hunger and * si: hed begun on Sereniti= 3u ths rersion of the last mari s: Biko's life has been shot to ribbons by the endence slowly emerging at tie inquest currently being belt a Pretoria.

According To police erident. Biko had a fight with fire security policemen on Sepiembe: . during the of which he Hamped" bis head against a rison wall and cur his lip.

This incident was allegedly enterai in the police occurre took by the man in Under cross-examination Snyman admitted that he had not actually seen Biko "bump" his head, and allowed, therefore, that the incident may not have taken place at all.

In the official statement released by "Justice" Minister James Kruger after Biko's death, no mention of this incident is made whatsoever.

Kept naked

According to further evidence given by Snyman Biko was kept naked. in legirons and in manacles or ihe floor of his cell from Septer:ber 6-8.

Again, this rather salient plece of information was omitted from Kruger's statement-despite his declaration that two further surgeons saw Biko on September 7 and 8, but "could diagnose no physical problem"

Finally, evidence offered on the third day of the inquest revealed that Biko was transported, naked and shackled, 750 miles from Port Elizabeth to Pretoria in the back of a Land Rover, with a single container of water as "medical equipment"

Died within hours

Biko died within hours of his arrival in Pretoria. Once again, Kruger's statement omits these points, blandly recording instead that "Mr. Biko was taken to Pretoria"

As we no ones lice inquest INTO police mundari= will undoubtedly emerge.

What is clear at this stage is that Biko was murdered by South Africa's police, and that a grandiose cover-up has been attempted, stretching from police interrogators and district surgeons to James Kruger and the entire South African government.

It may be that the inquest will reveal who the actual murderers were, and as a result these racists may have to be made scapegoats by Vorster's white minority governmer:

Bi: that would solve nothing for basically Steve Biko died because of his opposition to the entire apartheid system.

Contempt

Vorster and his armed forces have nothing but contempt for inquests.

Asked where he got his powers from to keep a man in chains, police chief colonel Goosen retorted:

"We don't work with the law, we work with our own powers"

South Africa's black proletariat should take note of Goosen's remarks. Only by relying on their own powers in the struggle for basic democratic rights can they cleanse South Africa of its barbaric apartheid system. and thereby avenge the murders of Steve Biko. Волаventura Malazi and the 600 others who have been tha Protestors holding Ensslin and Raspe. he German state of murd r at the funeral of Baader,