Timol inquest ready to hear new testimony

IN HIS book, No one to Blame, advocate George Bizos concluded his chapter on Ahmed Timol by saying: “We can only hope that the conscience of at least some of them (the then security branch of the police) will lead them to reveal the truth, before they are buried like their victims.”

This hope may eventually come true, as several former security police officers have taken Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, Judge Billy Mothle up on his plea for anyone with information relating to the death of Timol to come forward.

Dr Torie Pretorius, leading the team acting for the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), this week told the court it had been contacted by various potential new witnesses, including former security police officers, keen to assist.

Pretorius and his team will work over the weekend to consult with them to determine if they could contribute to the inquest.

He told the court some were afraid to come forward, but it was important to listen to them.

If they take the stand next week, it will mean the second leg of the inquest relating to the hearing of evidence will be extended to Wednesday. Evidence before court was expected to conclude this week, but Mothle said he would extend if it proved that hearing these witnesses would be fruitful.

The magistrate who heard the inquest in 1972 concluded that no one was to blame and that Timol had committed suicide. He accepted evidence from the police that Timol was not assaulted before his death.

Timol’s younger brother, Mohammed Timol, and Bizos were the only two people who had attended that inquest and are now in court, attending another 45 years later.

Mohammed said he believed the truth would emerge for the first time.

But there are still many questions, such as when exactly did Timol plunge to his death – during the morning, as claimed by two witnesses, or in the afternoon, as claimed by the police.

A pathologist who was recalled to the witness stand to unravel the mystery was unable to say whether it was morning or afternoon.

While the answers to many questions may have gone to the grave, the family hopes for the closure it has wished for over the past 46 years.