Ashley Kriel (17th October , 1966 - July 9th , 1987) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who was killed by police in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

on 9 July 1987 for his role in advocating anti-apartheid actions. In 1999, Jeffrey Benzien was granted an amnesty by the

South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

for his part in the killing. On his release from prison in February 1990,

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

acknowledged Ashley Kriel's sacrifice for the anti-apartheid struggle in his speech in

Paarl Paarl (; Afrikaans: ; derived from ''Parel'', meaning "pearl" in Dutch) is a town with 112,045 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is the third-oldest city and European settlement in the Republic of South Africa (after ...

. In his memory, the

Institute for Justice and Reconciliation The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) is a non-governmental organisation and think tank based in Cape Town, South Africa. It was forged out of the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2000. The aim was to ensure that less ...

and the

University of the Western Cape The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is a public research university in Bellville, near Cape Town, South Africa. The university was established in 1959 by the South African government as a university for Coloured people only. Other un ...

created the annual Ashley Kriel Memorial Youth Lecture to highlight youth leadership challenges throughout the country.

Death and funeral

The circumstances around Kriel's death have never been clearly established. According to Benzien, a security policeman known for his "wet-bag" torture of activists, he was shot by accident during a scuffle. However, forensic scientist David Klatzow believes Kriel was shot from a distance while handcuffed. His sister Michel returned to the house and found blood in numerous places, inside and outside, including on a spade, and believes he was tortured. In spite of the doubts around Benzien's testimony, he was granted amnesty by the

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state act ...

. Kriel's funeral was attacked by South African police with tear gas.

The Ashley Kriel Youth Leadership Development Project

The project was established because of the inspiration from Cape Town youth leader Ashley Kriel who was killed by the apartheid regime in the 1980s. He is recognised as representative of students and youth of the 1980s from the

Cape Flats The Cape Flats ( af, Die Kaapse Vlakte) is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. The Cape Flats is also the name of an administrative region of the City of Cape Town, which lie ...

in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

. Ashley Kriel is a symbol of youths bringing about social change in and out of the Western Cape. The program involves youth in many various platforms, including physical and electronic, the project also promotes debate about youth leadership and development. By connecting a cross-section of youth from different societies, the project aims to develop young future leaders.

Memory Box Initiative

Projects are combined to focus on the fostering of conversation and the sharing of personal narratives and community histories in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

, as means of furthering reconciliation and the impact on the IJRs Ashley Kriel Youth Leadership Development Project and Schools' Oral History. The project aims to provide a platform whereby stories of community members in Worcester can be explored through different aspects of Arts and Theatre-based activities that create space for dialogue, peace-building, social justice and public participation. The key element throughout the projects is the closing of the generational gap between youth and generations from different eras within the community's history, including the former anti-apartheid activists with the aim of encouraging the connection between the two eras by sharing experiences and memories.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kriel, Ashley 1987 deaths Anti-apartheid activists South African democracy activists People from Cape Town South African activists Assassinated activists Extrajudicial killings in South Africa Prisoners who died in South African detention Deaths in police custody in South Africa People shot dead by law enforcement officers in South Africa Cape Coloureds 1967 births Reconciliation