Sergeant praised after Timol’s death

THE inquest into activist Ahmed Timol’s death heard yesterday that former apartheid police sergeant Joao Rodriguez was praised by police top brass for his role in the death.

Retired police officer and expert investigator Frank Dutton testified in the Pretoria High Court that Rodriguez had received a letter of praise for his “exemplary” service to the state‚ two days before the magistrate exonerated police of any wrongdoing in Timol’s death.

Dutton said it was seldom that a police commissioner dished out such praises. He said commendation letters were normally issued at provincial or district level.

Dutton was also surprised because Rodriguez had not received any letters of recommendation from his superiors‚ and had no recorded achievements or medals.

“Sergeant Rodriguez did not have a remarkable police career. He was employed in a clerical position in the finance section of police headquarters for his entire career.”

Dutton said that in June 1956‚ barely four months after joining the police‚ Rodriguez had been convicted of statutory perjury.

Between February and November 1971‚ Rodriguez took a total of 301 days’ sick leave. These included 53 days of sick leave for sports-related injuries‚ which would be regarded as injury on duty.

Dutton said he had also perused police files of 28 security branch members and none of them had contained similar letters of praise from the commissioner.

“Rodriguez was the person in the room with Timol when he apparently [jumped out of the window] . . . The conclusion I conclude is that Rodriguez was being commended for his role in the Timol matter.”

He said Rodriguez should have been taken to task for his failure to stop Timol from exiting through the window, but this did not happen.

He was surprised that Rodriguez‚ who was 1.8m tall and weighed in excess of 80kg, could not stop Timol‚ who was 1.6m tall and about 65kg.

Timol died on October 27 1971 while in police custody at John Vorster Square. An inquest in 1972 found that he had committed suicide by jumping from the 10th floor.

Timol’s family asked for the inquest to be reopened because new information had come to light.

Dutton concluded that the original investigation “amounted to a coverup of the truth”.

Rodriguez was in the room with Timol when he apparently [jumped]