The inquest into the death of Black Consciousness leader, Steve Bantu Biko, opens in Pretoria

Steve Biko died naked and unattended on the cement floor of a cell in a Pretoria prison hospital after it had been established that he had suffered some kind of head trauma. An inquest into his death was held two months later in Pretoria. The inquest received worldwide coverage, something that had never occurred before for a person who had died in detention. Police admitted to keeping Steve Biko shackled and naked for two days, but still dismissed allegations of assault. As it would later come to light, the inquest proved to be just one big conspiracy to conceal the real cause of Biko’s death, with all the witnesses and all court officials playing a part. The officials stood by the claim that Biko had committed suicide. It was later revealed that five police officers had in fact assaulted him which led to his death.