Activist’s apartheid-era death to be probed
Family of activist-teacher Ahmed Timol never believed he had committed suicide
THE DEATH of anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol under suspicious circumstances, while in police custody in October 1971, has been reopened for investigation. Judge President of the South Gauteng High Court, Judge Billy Mothle, has been appointed to oversee the case.
The family of Timol, aged 29 at the time of this death, were told he had jumped to his death – an allegation they rejected.
“(We) never believed that he had committed suicide by jumping from the 10th floor of John Vorster Square Police Station (renamed Johannesburg Central Police Station) during his interrogation by security police,” said Timol’s nephew, Imtiaz Ahmed Cajee.
“(We) believe that Timol was either tortured to death and thrown from the building or pushed to his death. (We) remain convinced that the inquest was a cover-up.”
The Roodepoort schoolteacher was arrested at a police roadblock on October 22, 1971. His death was announced five days later.
Timol was reportedy the 22nd person to die in police custody since 1960 and the deaths of many more apartheid detainees were subsequently reported.
A private investigation on behalf of his family presented evidence to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in January 2016.
Three dates have been set aside for the hearing, with the inquest set to run from June 26 until June 30 in the South Gauteng High Court in Joburg and resuming on July 24 until August 4, and with the final dates on August 10 and 11.
The family argued that apartheid-era magistrate JJL de Villiers had erred in his findings and they provided compelling evidence to the NPA necessitating the reopening of the inquest in the interests of justice.
During the original inquest into Timol’s death in 1972, De Villiers concluded that he was not tortured during his detention; that the Security Branch officers were credible witnesses; and that the detainee had committed suicide.
He found nobody responsible for his death.
“Our immediate priority is to have the apartheid-era inquest finding of nobody to blame reversed,” said Cajee.
Various high-profile people are expected to attend the re-opening of the inquest and media organisations have applied for permission to film proceedings.
Cajee responded with gratitude and emotion upon hearing about the dates for the reopening of the inquest. He said it was long overdue for the family.