Description:

Steve Biko
King William's Town, South Africa, January 12, 1977
Steve Biko TLS on Death & Inquest of Fellow Activist Mapetla Mohapi
TLS

A historically significant letter from anti-apartheid leader Bantu Stephen Biko to the Magistrate of King William's Town, signed at conclusion as "B.S. Biko". 1p on personalized stationery, measuring 6" x 8.5", King William's Town, January 12, 1977. Within, Biko requests permission to attend an inquest regarding the death of fellow Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) activist Mapetla Mohapi, who died while in police custody. Due to an apartheid-era banning order which restricted his activities, he was thus required to inform the Magistrate's office of his intentions. Features isolated handstamp near upper right, with two-hole punches along left side margin. Light age toning and handling creases throughout. Docketing in red pen from an unidentified hand on verso. Overall, very good to near fine.

Reading in full:
"I have been asked by the attorney representing the Mohapi family in the above matter to make myself available for consultations on the 16th January with their Counsel as well as attend the inquest which has been set down for the 17th and 18th January.
Kindly grant me the necessary permission to enter the premises of the King William's Town Magistrate's Court on the relevant dates and to attend the consultations which will be held somewhere in King William's Town. I do not as yet know where exactly Mr Mxenge plans to have the consultation."

Mapetla Mohapi (1947-1976) was the secretary of the South African Students' Organization and a member of the BCM. On July 16, 1976, he was detained under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act- the first to be detained under that section- for allegedly transporting young men across the border to Botswana for military training. He was found dead in his cell on August 6th, with jeans wrapped around his neck in an apparent suicide; the police produced a suicide note, which was later shown to be a forgery, lending credibility to the idea that authorities staged his death. His wife sued the police minister, and hoped to involve Biko in the inquest.

Nearly seven months later in August 1977, Biko broke his banning order by traveling to Cape Town in the hopes of addressing dissent in the BCM's Western Cape branch. On the way back to King William's Town, however, he was detained at a roadblock and subsequently arrested. Biko was soon transferred to Port Elizabeth in September, where he was brutally beaten during interrogation. On September 12, 1977, the activist tragically died of his injuries alone in a jail cell, an eerily similar fate to that of Mohapi less than a year before.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 6" x 8.5"
  • Medium: TLS

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