The group is seeking approximately 167 million rand ($9 million) in damages, as stated in court papers.

Twenty-five families of victims and survivors of political crimes committed during apartheid have initiated legal action against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government. They allege a failure to thoroughly investigate these crimes and ensure justice is served.

The group is demanding approximately 167 million rand ($9 million) in damages, as outlined in the case filed on Monday at the High Court in Pretoria. This information was shared on Thursday by the Foundation for Human Rights, an NGO supporting the families. Additionally, the group seeks an order compelling Ramaphosa to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate "political interference that resulted in the suppression of several hundred serious crimes arising from South Africa's past," according to their statement.

A spokesperson for Ramaphosa stated that his legal team would address the court filings and emphasized that the president has never interfered with law enforcement agencies or directed them to avoid prosecuting crimes from the apartheid era.

South Africa was governed by a white minority government for decades, implementing institutionalized racial segregation before transitioning to a multi-racial democracy in 1994. Since then, the African National Congress (ANC) has held power, though it lost its majority in a national election last year, forcing it to share power with smaller parties.

Lukhanyo Calata, the son of Fort Calata, is the first applicant in the case. Fort Calata was one of the "Cradock Four," a group of anti-apartheid activists killed in 1985. No one has been prosecuted for the case, and a third inquest is set to begin this year. However, the statement noted that many key individuals tied to the killings have since passed away. Calata remarked, "Justice delayed in this manner has ensured that justice is permanently denied to our families."

The applicants also include survivors of the 1993 Highgate Massacre, where masked men killed five people in a hotel bar, as well as family members of other anti-apartheid activists who were murdered or disappeared.

In 1996, South Africa established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to investigate human rights abuses under apartheid. When the TRC concluded in 2002, it handed over a list of several hundred cases for further investigation. However, many of these cases were never pursued. Lawyer Odette Geldenhuys, representing the applicants, stated that the suppression of accountability efforts after the TRC led to the loss of witnesses, perpetrators, and evidence, thereby rendering many prosecutions impossible. This, she said, has deprived survivors and families of justice, truth, and closure.

The group is seeking compensation in the form of "constitutional damages," which are awarded when a court determines that the state has infringed on constitutional rights.