Opening the door to darkness

Someone to Blame, a 54-minute documentary about how anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol really died in police custody in 1971, will premiere on October 14th on SABC 3.

This is part two of the historic precedent-setting inquest into the death of the 29-year-old Roodepoort teacher and political activist, who an apartheid-era magistrate ruled had committed suicide by jumping from the 10th floor of former John Vorster Square Police Station (now Johannesburg Police Station) on October 27, 1971.

The original sham of an inquest held on June 22 1972 returned the verdict that no living person was responsible for his death despite overwhelming evidence of gruesome torture.

His loved ones did not believe Timol, the 22nd person to die in police custody, had jumped from the 10th floor while being interrogated by the security police. They believed he was either tortured to death and then thrown from the window or pushed out of it.

Imtiaz Ahmed Cajee, Timol’s nephew, made it his personal quest to find those responsible for his beloved uncle’s death. He was the driving force behind getting the inquest re-opened, saying “our immediate priority is to have the apartheid inquest finding of nobody to blame reversed”.

A private investigation on behalf of Timol’s family with the assistance of the Foundation of Human Rights presented evidence to the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) in January 2016. The Timol family argued that the apartheid-era magistrate had erred in his findings and provided compelling evidence to the NPA necessitating the re-opening of the inquest in the interests of justice.

And 45 years later, from June to August, spanning 20 days in both the High Court in Johannesburg and the High Court in Pretoria, riveting testimony revealed how political detainees were tortured, proving conclusively that Timol was tortured.

Expert witnesses steadily built up a case to expose the weaknesses of the first inquest. Security police, including the last person to be with Timol when he “jumped”, were found. Will they talk or remain silent? The Timol family is hoping to get answers.

The inquest gripped the nation. Judge Billy Mothle in his opening remarks stated: “There is no doubt in my mind that during these proceedings we, as South Africans, will go through a door that will rekindle painful memories; a door that invites us to embark on a journey which will cause all of us to confront the sordid part of our history. That door will only close once the truth is revealed.”

The documentary is expected to feature all the key role players from the inquest, bringing back this historic moment in a raw and visceral style.

Someone to Blame; The Ahmed Timol Inquest is directed and produced by award-winning director Enver Samuel, whose first documentary on Timol, Indians Can’t Fly, won two South African Film and Television Awards.

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