Lubowski's vision: “A call for economic equality in South Africa,” says Nicholson

​​Anton Lubowski was a freedom fighter, anti-apartheid activist and advocate who dedicated his life to social and economic justice. While he was a Namibian native, he chose to study law at Stellenbosch University (SU) and the University of Cape Town (UCT).

During the years he studied at SU, he was a resident of Simonsberg Residence, which is where the recent 6^th Annual Anton Lubowksi Memorial Lecture was hosted. The memorial lecture is organised annually by the SU Law Faculty, Simonsberg Residence, and Development and Alumni Relations (DAR).

Max du Preez, author, columnist and founding editor of the anti-aparthaid newspaper, Vrye Weekblad, welcomed guests, which also included students, to the lecture. He referred to Lubowski as "a great inspiration" to him and many others.

"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," said Du Preez.

While Lubowski could have lived a comfortable life by pursuing a career as a judge or advocate, Du Preez explained that he chose instead to dedicate himself to fighting for social justice in Namibia. It was a decision that ultimately cost him his life. It was poetic justice that his assassination in 1989 led to the exposure of police and military death squads through the investigations conducted by Vrye Weekblad.

"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.

Du Preez's opening address was followed by a conversation between himself and retired Judge Chris Nicholson, who delivered the keynote address. Everyone who attended the lecture received a free copy of Nicholson's book, "Who Really Killed Chris Hani?". During his keynote address, Judge Nicholson discussed the key themes of the book, including the links he drew between the political killings of figures like Patrice Lumumba, Dag Hammarskjöld, Olof Palme, Bernt Carlsson, Chris Hani and the assassination of Lubowski.

Nicholson also spoke at length about the legacy of Lubowski, who he described as an advocate for economic justice for the poor and dispossessed and wanted to see the redistribution of Namibia's wealth amongst all its citizens.

"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."

"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."

Lubowski's murder has been attributed to the apartheid government's Civil Cooperation Bureau, however, for those who shared a close relationship with him, the advent of democracy in South Africa did not close the chapter on his death.

Said Nicholson: "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".

During his lecture, Nicholson engaged with the audience about South Africa and Namibia's shared history of apartheid and the countries' trajectories post-apartheid. He linked the current economic realities in both countries to the continued theft of Africa's resources by vested corporate interests. He added that many of the socio-economic issues that Lubowski had fought against, such as the marginalization of the poor, hunger, poverty, inequality, and corporate greed, sadly remains unresolved in South Africa and Namibia today.

Jasmine De Wet, a BA Humanities student who attended the lecture, said that she found it "quite insightful", because of what she had learned about Lubowski.

"There were some things I didn't even know happened during apartheid, which made me realise how nuanced the history of our country is."

Another attendee, Logan Mentor, said she appreciated learning about the diversity of people who fought for freedom and equality.

"What I found interesting was that young people don't know that there was diversity among those fighting for equality. Judge Nicholson was able to express that clearly so that everyone could understand It was good to know (hear) that even if we come from different backgrounds, different cultures, we all could stand for one purpose and that was equality."

Towards the end of the evening, Lubowski's widow, Gabriella Lubowski delivered the vote of thanks, sharing her appreciation for Nicholson's book and the lecture.

"This event keeps the memory of Anton Lubowksi alive, and it is of great personal significance to me."

Thanks to Nicholson, she said, the Lubowski family has been able to get answers to the questions they have had for the last 35 years.

"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."

Turning to the students in attendance, she said: "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."

The event also focused on the work of the Anton Lubowski Educational Trust (ALET), an organisation that continues Lubowski's legacy of promoting justice through education. ALET is spearheaded by Lubowski's daughter Nadia and 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.

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