Inquest into Neil Aggett’s death in detention to be reopened

The inquest into the death of anti-apartheid activist Dr Neil Aggett, who was found hanging in his police cell on February 5, 1982, will be reopened in the High Court in Johannesburg tomorrow.

Judge President Dunstan Mlambo has appointed Judge Motsamai Makume to preside and five weeks have been set aside for hearings.

Aggett was a medical doctor and a trade unionist who died aged 28. Police claimed he committed suicide.

He had been detained at the notorious John Vorster Square from November 1981 and died under mysterious circumstances after 70 days of detention without trial.

The reopening of the inquest into Aggett’s death is the third of 300 cases referred for further investigation and possible prosecution by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which carried out most of its hearings between 1995 and 1999.

Moray Hathorn, partner at Webber Wentzel and head of the firm’s pro bono department, acted on behalf of the Aggett family.

Hathorn said: “This is amongst the first of three cases [Ahmed Timol and Nokuthula Simelane are the others] to be reopened that involved the apparent murder of detainees by the former security branch.

“The referral by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for further investigation has been delayed by decades, but the families of those detainees continue to seek justice before it is too late.”

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