Anti-apartheid activist Nokuthula Orela Simelane, who disappeared in 1983 after being abducted by members of the apartheid Security Branch. Photo: South African History Online.
More than four decades after her disappearance, the courage and sacrifice of Mpumalanga-born anti-apartheid activist Nokuthula Orela Simelane continue to resonate across South Africa.
Born in Mzinoni near Bethal in 1960, Simelane studied at the University of Swaziland, where she completed a Bachelor of Administration degree. During her studies, she joined the ANC and served as a courier for its armed wing, uMkhonto weSizwe, carrying information between Swaziland and South Africa.
In 1983, at just 23 years old, Simelane was abducted by members of the apartheid-era Security Branch at the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. Evidence presented during Truth and Reconciliation Commission proceedings established that she was held and tortured. She was never seen by her family again, and her remains have never been found.
The memorial to Nokuthula Simelane in Bethal, created by sculptor Rohan Janse van Vuuren. Photograph: David Goldblatt. Image courtesy of the artist and Goodman Gallery.
Her legacy is preserved in Bethal, where a statue honouring her stands at the Nomoya Masilela Museum precinct. In 2024, she was also posthumously awarded the Order of Luthuli in Gold for her bravery and contribution to South Africa’s liberation struggle.
Simelane’s story will receive renewed national attention today Thursday, 3 September 2026, when President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the inaugural Nokuthula Simelane Memorial Lecture at the University of Mpumalanga in Mbombela.
Hosted by the Nokuthula Simelane Foundation, the lecture will encourage dialogue on democracy, social justice, ethical leadership, gender equality and human rights. It will also confront questions of truth, accountability and the unfinished business of South Africa’s democratic transition.
While the location of her remains and the full circumstances of her death remain unanswered, Nokuthula Simelane’s name—and the courage for which it stands—have not disappeared.