International character witnesses set to testify in dentist Haffejee’s ‘suicide’ inquest today

THE reopened inquest into the August 1977 death of Pietermaritzburg-born dentist Dr Hoosen Haffejee is today expected to hear testimony from three character witnesses, two of them internationally-based.

Haffejee was found hanging from the grille door of cell number 2 of the Brighton Beach police station on August 3, 1977, after he had been arrested on August 1 by Security Branch members, including the late Lieutenant James Taylor and Captain Petrus du Toit, with a 1978 inquest into his death, led by magistrate Trevor Blunden, declaring his death a suicide.

The inquest is now into its second week and has already seen Haffejee’s two remaining siblings, Ismail Haffejee and Sarah Bibi Lall, who testified before the Pietermaritzburg High Court, where the inquest is being heard.

The two siblings, alongside an aeronautical engineer, Thivash Moodley, rejected the findings of the 1978 inquest into Haffejee’s death that the then 26-year-old doctor had committed suicide by hanging himself.

Anwar Suleman Jessop, legal representative for the Haffejee family at the inquest, said the three witnesses expected to deliver virtual testimony before Judge ZP Nkosi are from India, Wales and Cape Town.

“They are character witnesses and they are the few character witnesses that we have left and they will be able to testify on various aspects and their relationship with the doctor.

“On Thursday (tomorrow) we will get to the forensic analysis of the evidence,” Jessop said.

The inquest had been scheduled yesterday to hear virtual testimony from another three witnesses, based in London, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

However, owing to ill-health they were unable to proceed with their testimonies.

“They’re elderly people and they weren’t feeling very well, and when we asked them about their availability they said to us that they don’t have a problem with us handing in their affidavits to be part of the records, so that’s what we have done eventually,” Jessop said.

VUYOLWETHU KHOZA Joint Operations Tactical Headquarters Western Cape POLICE, joined by the SANDF and other law enforcement agencies conducted a joint crime prevention operation at the Bellville Taxi rank. A total of 336 vehicles, 650 people and seven buildings were searched, resulting in counterfeit goods worth R89 500 confiscated.