On February 15 1977, Matthews Mojo Mabelane, fell from the tenth floor of John Vorster Square, landing on a vehicle parked below. There is still a great deal of mystery surrounding his death, with many believing it was foul play. However, the security police, bureaucratic as ever, submitted a detailed report that claimed he had fallen from a ledge outside Room 1008 on the tenth floor in an attempt to escape.
Also look at images of the documents the security police prepared for the inquest into Matthews Mabelane’s death, which demonstrate the extraordinary measures they took to convince the magistrate of the accidental nature of Mabelane’s death:
Inquest: ACT 58 OF 1959
Held at JOHANNESBURG in the district of JOHANNESBURG by W.P. DORMEHL esquire, Magistrate for the said district with [blank] as assessor(s) on the 14 day of April 1977, into the circumstances attending the death of the person mentioned below.
Findings in terms of section 16 of the Act:
(a) Identity of the deceased person: Mathews Mabelane, Bantu Male, 22 years, unknown
(b) Date of death: 15.2.77
(c) Cause or likely cause of death: MULTIPLE INJURIES – Sustained by the deceased while questioned by police jumping through a window and walking along a ledge on the outside of the building at the 10th floor loosing his balance and falling to the ground below – Accidental.
(d) Whether the death was brought about by any act or omission involving or amounting to an offence on the part of any person: NO
Date: 30.5.77
W.P. Dormehl
– Report of death of Matthews Mabelane, April 14, 1977, South African Police Archives
MEDIA REPORTS:
Witness And Forensic Expert Cast Further Doubt On Official Version Of Mabelane Death
June 5, 2026, Y-FM Lebohang Ndashe
Fresh testimony at the reopened inquest into the death of anti-apartheid activist, Matthews “Mojo” Mabelane, has raised further questions about conditions inside apartheid-era detention facilities, while a forensic pathologist has highlighted significant flaws in the original investigation
Witness Testimony And Forensic Evidence Challenge Official Account Of Mabelane’s Death
Y-FM, 3 June 2026 Lebohang Ndashe
Nearly five decades after anti-apartheid activist, Matthews “Mojo” Mabelane, died in police detention, witness testimony and forensic evidence presented at the reopened inquest are increasingly casting doubt on the apartheid-era account that he jumped to his death from the tenth floor of John Vorster Square.
Physics, Architecture Deepen Doubts In Mabelane Death Narrative
Y-FM, 3 June 2026 Lebohang Ndashe
The reopened inquest into the death of anti-apartheid activist, Matthews “Mojo” Mabelane, is increasingly shifting from witness testimony to questions of physics and building design, as experts argue that the official account of a suicide fall from the 10th floor of the former police headquarters may not align with physical evidence.
https://www.yfm.co.za/2026/06/02/physics-architecture-deepen-doubts-in-mabelane-death-narrative/
State alleges apartheid police cover-up in death of Matthews ‘Mojo’ Mabelane
The CITIZEN, 2 June 2026 by Faizel Patel
The Johannesburg High Court has heard allegations of a systematic cover-up in the way deaths in detention at the former John Vorster Square Police Station were investigated during apartheid.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/state-alleges-apartheid-police-cover-up-death-matthews-mojo-mabelane/
Reopened inquest into anti-apartheid activist ‘Mojo’ Mabelane’s death gets underway
STATEMENTS / AFFIDAVITS:
- Opening Statement by H Varney
- Student Activist Chippa Joseph Dikgole
- Forensic Pathologist Dr Steve Naidoo
- Forensic Pathologist Dr Shakeera Holland
- Former Police Officer Jacobus Johannes Jooste
- Activist Matthew Lebuso
- Architect and forensic specialist Dr Heather Dodd
- Aeronautical EngineerThivash Moodley
- Investigating Officer Mpho Livid Mashilo
- Stephans, Phillip and the LATE Lash Mabelane
They Never Gave Up: Families Fight for Justice Over Apartheid-Era Atrocities
SELLO HATANG | When justice waits too long: lessons from the families of the Cradock Four
The fight for information becomes a test of the nation’s values and memory
