John Vorster Square Archives - Voice of the Cape

Security branch police officer denies involvement in covering up Aggett’s death

Former security branch police officer Nicolaas Deetlefs has denied involvement in covering up anti-apartheid activist Neil Aggett’s death. However, during cross-examination, Deetlefs confessed that they did cover up the assaults and torture of detainees at the then John Vorster Square Police Station. He has been testifying at the inquest into Aggett’s death at the High Court in Johannesburg. Aggett was found hanging in his cell on the 5 February 1982. […]

19 February 2020

Local

Witness describes the moments following Aggett’s death

A former inmate who was detained at the then John Vorster Square Police Station Jabulane Ngwenya says the mood was very tense at the station on the day anti-apartheid activist Neil Aggett died. Ngwenya has concluded testifying at the inquest into Aggett’s death in the High Court in Johannesburg. Aggett was found hanging in his cell on the 5th of February 1982. His family and some of Agget’s comrades have […]

7 February 2020

Local

Court rules Timol was pushed to his death

Pretoria High Court Judge Billy Mothle has ruled that activist Ahmed Timol did not commit suicide but was brutally tortured and pushed from the 10th floor of the notorious John Vorster Square police building in October 1971. An inquest held in 1972 found that he had committed suicide by jumping from the 10th floor but Timol’s family have refused to accept that he had killed himself and asked for the […]

12 October 2017

Local

Timol, Essop detained illegally and tortured, inquest hears

Apartheid-era police illegally held anti-apartheid activists Ahmed Timol and Salim Essop at John Vorster Square in order to torture them, the High Court in Pretoria heard on Thursday. "They were held, in my view, illegally in the offices on the 10th floor. One can only come to the conclusion that it was for reasons of torture and it was for reasons of sleep deprivation," a private investigator commissioned by Timol's […]

28 July 2017

Local

Second sitting of Ahmed Timol death inquiry to resume

The second sitting of the inquest looking into anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol’s death at John Vorster Square in 1971 resumes on Monday. Timol’s death was ruled a suicide in 1972, however a private investigation launched by Timol's family uncovered new evidence which it presented to the NPA, asking for the inquest to be re-opened. The NPA agreed. The Roodepoort teacher's loved ones have always maintained that they did not believe […]

24 July 2017

John Vorster Square

Security branch police officer denies involvement in covering up Aggett’s death

Witness describes the moments following Aggett’s death

Court rules Timol was pushed to his death

Timol, Essop detained illegally and tortured, inquest hears

Second sitting of Ahmed Timol death inquiry to resume

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