Luthuli's daughter-in-law tells court about his injuries in hospital

The daughter-in-law of slain ANC president-general, Chief Albert Luthuli, told the Pietermaritzburg high court that as a family they always believed that Luthuli's death was not an accident but murder.

Wilhelmina May Luthuli, 77, who took the witness stand on Tuesday, said there was a definite cover-up of the death of her father-in-law.

In her four-page affidavit, Wilhelmina — who was 20 years old when Luthuli died — said an inquest conducted at the Stanger magistrate's court revealed that it appeared that the anti-apartheid stalwart was struck with a heavy iron on his head.

She said she was the last person who saw Luthuli on the day he was found injured on a railway line in 1967.

“When he left home at about 6.30am, he was fine and healthy,” Wilhelmina said.

She said news that Luthuli was found injured on a railway line came to her first while she was home doing the laundry .

“It was about 9am when someone came home and relayed the news that Luthuli was found injured on a railway line and taken to Stanger hospital,” she said.

Wilhelmina said she rushed to the hospital and while she was there waiting to see him, other family members arrived .

“When we were allowed in, I noticed that he had a deep wound in the middle of his head and one of his arms was injured. He was trying to speak to us but failed. I suspected it was because of his injuries,” she said.

She said that the injuries he sustained contradicted the claim that he may have been hit by a train.

Wilhelmina also disputed media reports at the time of Luthuli's death that he was sick, saying they have no doubt that state agencies colluded and covered up the nature of his death.

Afterwards, members of the elite apartheid police special branch would barge in at their home in Groutville without any reason, she told the court.

There were times when they would park their car outside their home without entering, Wilhelmina testified.

“It was clear that we highly monitored by the apartheid agencies,” she said.

Lt-Col Johannes Steyn, one of the investigating officers into the death of Luthuli after his inquest was reopened, testified that it seems as if the magistrate who presided over Luthuli's inquest in 1967 had already concluded the outcome even before the hearing.

CI Boswell was the magistrate who presided over an inquest into the death of Luthuli at Stanger magistrate's court on September 19 1967.

Steyn said in a letter written by Boswell, dated September 11 1967, that a postmortem report stated that Luthuli had died as a result of a goods train accident.

He said Boswell had taken the decision before he looked at the evidence.

Steyn said in the documents he obtained regarding Luthuli's death, he found some letters that were written by him.

He said in one of those letters Luthuli was asking for the relaxation of his movements.

Steyn said they did not locate a secret circular when doing their investigation.

Wilhelmina's cross-examination is expected to start on Wednesday. — TimesLIVE