Stellenbosch University
Like other freedom fighters before and after him, Anton Lubowski was murdered for opposing the plundering by corporate interests and lobbying for the redistribution of Africa’s wealth to its people. This was the unambiguous message delivered by retired judge and author Chris Nicholson at the recent sixth annual Anton Lubowski Memorial Lecture.
Moderated by veteran journalist Max du Preez and presented by Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Development and Alumni Relations Division in collaboration with the Faculty of Law and Simonsberg Residence, the event honoured the life and contributions of Anton Lubowski, a dedicated anti-apartheid activist and SU alumnus who was tragically assassinated in 1989.
In his introductory remarks, Du Preez reflected on his friendship with Lubowski and how they shared a bond as SU alumni and activists who tried to make sense of their privilege in the context of racial oppression and injustice.
“The apartheid system wanted to kill Anton not because he was a terrorist or a communist or a radical socialist, but because he was a symbol that sent a message to young people, white and black, that one can be white and Afrikaans speaking and join the side of the oppressed and those who fought for freedom and democracy. And in that, Anton Lubowski was a great inspiration to me and many others,” Du Preez said.
He pointed out Lubowski’s decision to forgo a potentially lucrative career as a judge or advocate to instead dedicate himself to the fight for social justice in his country of birth Namibia, a choice that ultimately cost him his life. Du Preez explained how Lubowski’s murder led to the exposure of police and military death squads through the investigations conducted by Vrye Weekblad, the anti-apartheid newspaper Du Preez founded. “I always thought that Anton would appreciate the fact that his death resulted in the exposure of all these police and military death squads,” Du Preez said.
In his address, Nicholson vividly captured Lubowski’s role in Namibia’s liberation struggle and his courageous defiance in the face of immense pressure. Lubowski was detained six times, once for three weeks in solitary confinement at the notorious Oshiri detention camp. His refusal to be silenced, even under threat of imprisonment and death, made him a target for South Africa’s apartheid government, Nicholson claimed.
“Anton was not only active as a lawyer, defending those charged with political offenses. He was also active on the economic front, and that gave the big corporations reason to dispose of him,” Nicholson said. “He was determined that after independence, the country’s wealth – the diamonds, the fishing waters and the uranium – would be redistributed amongst everybody. This simple principle that distribution should undo excess could have been the single most important motive to kill him among those who wanted to hold the wealth exclusively.”
His assassination, according to Nicholson, was orchestrated by the apartheid government’s notorious Civil Cooperation Bureau. “But there’s been no attempt to bring these people to book, to prosecute those who have been identified by judges as accomplices to the murder,” Nicholson lamented.
He drew links between Lubowski’s assassination and other political killings such as that of Patrice Lumumba, Dag Hammarskjöld, Olof Palm, Bernt Carlsson and Chris Hani. In his recently published book Who Really Killed Chris Hani? Nicholson challenges the narrative that Janusz Waluś and Clive Derby-Lewis plotted Hani’s murder without assistance. All these assassinations point to collusion between corporate interests and state security forces, he suggested.
Nicholson’s lecture also explored the systemic inequalities that persisted after apartheid ended and how poverty in Africa is still linked to the plundering of the continent’s resources. Drawing parallels between the past and present, Nicholson pointed out that many of the socio-economic issues that Lubowski fought against – inequality, poverty, hunger, corporate greed and the marginalisation of the poor – remain unresolved. He said Lubowski’s legacy is one that continues to inspire those who fight for social justice in Namibia and South Africa.
The event also shone a light on the work of the Anton Lubowski Educational Trust (ALET), an organisation that continues Lubowski’s legacy of promoting justice through education. ALET, spearheaded by Anton’s daughter Nadia, focuses on early childhood development in low-income communities where access to quality education remains limited. Nicholson praised the initiative in Phillipi for its commitment to breaking the cycle of poverty and uplifting future generations. A portion of the proceeds from Nicholson’s book Who Really Killed Chris Hani? is being donated to the trust.
As the evening drew to a close, Gabrielle Lubowski, Anton’s widow, expressed her deep gratitude to Nicholson for his research and perseverance in uncovering the truth behind Anton’s assassination. He has provided her and Anton’s family with answers they’ve been searching for 35 years, she said. “To finally know the why and who is responsible for his cowardly, callous and brutal murder, changed my life completely and has given me and my family the closure we were looking for so long. Thank you, Chris, from the bottom of my heart for not giving up.”
Addressing the students in the audience, Gabrielle concluded: “My hope is that all of you are inspired and walk away knowing that each life here is significant and that every person has within them the possibility to contribute to make this earth a better place.” DM
