Time of Timol’s death remains a mystery

THE time of death of anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol remains a mystery, with the security police maintaining it was in the late afternoon, while two witnesses were adamant it was mid-morning.

A pathologist recalled to the witness stand to unravel the mystery was unable to say if it was morning or afternoon. Dr Steve Naidoo said it was equally possible that Timol could have plunged to his death mid-morning or mid-afternoon.

Abdulla Adam, who was working at the petrol station across the road from John Vorster Square on September 27, 1971 when Timol fell, was adamant that it happened around 10am.

“I am certain of the time, because 10am was tea time. Tea time was very important to me,” he told the Pretoria High Court.

Adam testified yesterday during the second leg of the Timol inquest. He was called to the stand especially to shed more light on the time Timol had plunged to his death.

A previous witness who was filling his car with petrol at the time also placed the time at mid-morning. He was adamant about the time.

Adam testified that he was called by his boss to go and see what had happened, as there was a commotion.

Adam said he and others who went to the scene were chased away by the security police, but he did get a glimpse of the body lying in the shrubs. The body was facing upwards and was lying about 2m from the then-feared police headquarters.

Adam said he could not see whether the person was dead or alive.

Naidoo said the report issued by the doctor who had declared Timol dead was inadequate. The doctor saw the body late in the afternoon on that day and he was not clear on the time of death. He just noted that the man had “recently died”.

It could have meant that the time of death was between half an hour to 24 hours of the actual death, as rigor mortis had not yet occurred, Naidoo said.