The inquest into the Highgate Hotel massacre wrapped up in the East London Special Tribunal Court on Monday, but the truth about who was responsible for the deadly attack remains unclear. The court’s findings were inconclusive and, with judge Denzil Potgieter saying, “we are nowhere closer to complete answers more than 30 years later”. The inquest, which started in January, was held to establish whether anyone should be held criminally responsible for the deaths of Stanley Hacking, Douglas Gates, Royce Wheeler, Deon Harris and Deric Whitfield on that fateful night of May 1 1993.
Seven other people were seriously wounded. Apla, the armed wing of the PAC, was initially blamed for the massacre but investigations have not yielded any results. The unit also said the attack did not fit with theirmodus operandiat the time.
The inquest may not have revealed the identity of the two balaclava-clad gunmen who stormed the hotel and pub and opened fire on patrons using AK-47s, but it highlighted several problems: crime scenes were not properly handled, evidence was lost or ignored, and the investigation was delayed for years. These errors were not just accidents. It suggests a deliberate attempt to prevent the truth from coming out.
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Potgieter even said the attack was likely a “false flag” operation — possibly carried out by members of the apartheid security forces — designed to blame others falsely. This case highlights a painful reality. Even after 32 years, the survivors and families are still waiting for justice.
The state’s failure to act properly has left wounds open and many questions unanswered. The survivors and families of victims say they will continue their three-decades-long search for answers. One of the survivors who spoke with the Dispatch after Monday’s ruling, Karl Weber, blamed the state for bungling the case. He said if the case had been properly investigated 32 years ago, the results would have been different.
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