A South African court has ruled that Nobel laureate Albert Luthuli's 1967 death was the result of an assault by apartheid police, overturning decades of claims that it was an accident.
An inquest held under the apartheid government concluded that Luthuli, the first African to win the Nobel Peace Prize, died after being struck by a freight train while walking along a railway line.
But activists and his family had long cast doubt on the findings, and South Africa's government reopened the case this year.
A judge on Thursday ruled that the anti-apartheid hero died as a result of a fractured skull and a cerebral haemorrhage associated with an assault. His family has welcomed the judgement.
Luthuli, who at the time of his death was the leader of the then-banned African National Congress (ANC), won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1960 for spearheading the fight against apartheid.
The ANC went on to lead the struggle against white-minority rule and came to power in 1994, following the first democratic elections.
Delivering the judgment on Thursday, Judge Nompumelelo Radebe said evidence presented at the reopened inquest did not support the 1967 inquest findings.
It is found that the deceased died as a result of a fractured skull, cerebral haemorrhage and concussion of the brain associated with an assault, Judge Nompumelelo ruled.
The judge named seven men, whose whereabouts could not be ascertained, as being involved in the assault. If found, they could face criminal charges.
After the judgment was read out, the Luthuli family's spokesperson called it the first part of finally getting justice. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu also welcomed the court's decision, stating that it brings justice, truth, and dignity to the memory of Luthuli and all who suffered under apartheid brutality.
This case is part of a broader effort by South African authorities to address historical injustices and provide closure for families affected by apartheid-era crimes.
