Accused No.10 Justice "Basie" Bekebeke

Justice “Basie” Bekebeke, a member of the African National Congress, was one of the “Upington 14,” anti-apartheid activists tried under the apartheid-era “common purpose” law following the 1985 killing of municipal policeman Lucas Sethwala in Paballelo, Upington. Sethwala was reportedly shot after allegedly firing on residents participating in a toyi-toyi protest, a form of mass protest and defiance used during the anti-apartheid struggle.

Bekebeke, academically gifted with ambitions to become a doctor, left school during the 1978 boycotts and later trained as a nurse in Windhoek, also teaching Sunday School at Butterworth College. As a founder of the Upington Youth Movement, he helped raise funds to support students’ schooling.

During the protests, Bekebeke viewed Sethwala as part of the system of oppression. The court found that he played a leading role in Sethwala’s death by stoning his house and striking him over the head twice as he tried to flee. Sentenced to death in 1989, the sentence was later overturned. Bekebeke subsequently appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in Bloemfontein. His story reflects the harsh legal repression of Black South Africans, the pressures of youth activism through toyi-toyi protests, and the complex processes of justice and reconciliation in post-apartheid South Africa. His brother Barry was also convicted but received a suspended sentence with community service.