Court rules apartheid security cops killed Neil Aggett

Forty years after anti-apartheid activist Dr Neil Aggett was found hanging in his cell at the notorious John Vorster Square police station, the Johannesburg High Court has ruled that his death was not a result of suicide.

Judge Motsamai Makume on Friday delivered judgment in the reopened inquest into Aggett’s death back in 1982.

Judge Makume ruled that Aggett’s death was a cover-up by the then Security Branch of the South African Police.

“Having heard all the evidence, I’ve come to the conclusion that Dr Neil Aggett was killed by members of the Security Branch,” he said.

About Neil Aggett

Aggett was a medical doctor and trade union organiser who, on 5 February 1982, at the age of 28 was found hanging in his cell at the then John Vorster Square, now known as Johannesburg Central Police Station. The anti-apartheid activist was found dead after 70 days in police custody.

An initial inquest into his death was open in 1982, with presiding magistrate Pieter Kotze finding that no one was to blame for his death.

This was despite evidence presented by the Aggett family and other witnesses that he was subjected to torture and intense interrogation that was conducted by 14 different officers in shifts, over 62 hours.

Reopened inquest

Almost three decades later, based on new evidence, a reopened inquest was ordered on 16 August 2019 and commenced on 20 January 2020 in the Johannesburg High Court.

During the reopened inquest, family members, experts and political activists like Barbara Hogan testified about their interactions with Aggett before his death.

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They also testified about their experiences under detention without trial and the interrogation techniques and torture employed by the then Security Branch of the South African Police.

Inspection in loco

The high court conducted an inspection in loco of the 2nd and 10th floor of the John Vorster Square, where political activists were kept and interrogated, and were the body of Aggett was found in 1982.

In their heads of arguments, the legal representatives for the Aggett family requested the court to reverse the 1982 decision by the first inquest court, which found that Aggett had died by suicide.

They also recommended that other former members of the Security Branch be charged with perjury for making the false statements.

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