Former apartheid-era spy Craig Williamson has denied any role in the 1985 murders of the Cradock Four during testimony at an inquest in Gqeberha. He dismissed allegations from a late Security Branch officer as absurd and reiterated that his operations focused outside South Africa. The inquest continues with other former officials expected to testify.
Craig Williamson, a 75-year-old former Security Branch operative, testified at the third inquest into the murders of the Cradock Four in the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha on October 21, 2025. The activists—Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sicelo Mhlauli, and Sparrow Mkonto—were killed on June 27, 1985, after being arrested at a roadblock near Cradock while returning from what was then Port Elizabeth.
Williamson vehemently denied allegations that he ordered Lieutenant Jaap van Jaarsveld, a young and inexperienced officer, to spy on Goniwe and plan his assassination. These claims emerged during van Jaarsveld's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) amnesty application, where he implicated Williamson. "It was ludicrous to think I would have sent somebody with his limited knowledge and experience... to do such a job," Williamson told the court, describing the accusations as "absurd."
Recounting his career, Williamson joined the police in 1968 and the Security Branch in 1971. He infiltrated student organizations at the University of the Witwatersrand, became vice-president of the National Union of South African Students, and later operated in Europe. He received amnesty from the TRC for three operations: the 1982 bombing of the ANC's London headquarters, the assassination of Ruth First in Mozambique that year, and the 1984 letter-bomb killing of Jeanette Schoon and her daughter in Angola.
During cross-examination by advocate Howard Varney, representing the victims' families, Williamson maintained his focus was on external threats. Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi challenged his credibility, noting his history of deception in infiltrations, including the London bombing. Williamson admitted his involvement but insisted on his honesty regarding the Cradock Four, saying, "Nothing shocks me."
The inquest, aimed at uncovering the truth behind the murders, will hear from former Security Branch head Gerrit Erasmus, counterintelligence chief Izak 'Krappies' Engelbrecht, and ex-SADF officer Christoffel 'Joffel' van der Westhuizen this week.