High court reopens Imam Abdullah Haron inquest 53 years after his death in police custody

The high court re-opened the inquest into the death of anti-apartheid activist Imam Abdullah Haron in police cells on Monday.  

Western Cape judge present John Hlophe has appointed judge Daniel Thulare to preside over the inquest in June after a request from justice minister Ronald Lamola.

Haron died in detention at Maitland police station, Cape Town, on September 27 1969. The Muslim spiritual leader, who was 45-years-old, had been in police custody for 123 days. An autopsy showed that he had 27 bruises and a fractured rib but the notorious security branch claimed he had been well treated while behind bars. 

The officers who interrogated him, all of whom have since died, claimed Haron sustained the injuries when he fell down a staircase at the then Caledon police station, now called Cape Town central police station. The court heard that while in detention, Haron had smuggled out a message on a piece of toilet paper to “Canon Collins”. The message read: “If you hear that I have died in prison by accident, you will know that it will not have been an accident”.

The first inquest into Haron’s death was held in 1970 but state advocate Lifa Matyobeni dismissed it as a “fraud”.

“We will submit that a massive and deliberate fraud was perpetrated by the state machinery in the 1970 inquest and as such, it demands justice prevails,” the Matyobeni.

“What we will attempt to show is the inconsistency in the version provided by the state branch police who were the only witnesses called to testify about the unaccounted injuries to Mr Haron’s body.”

Haron’s family have been persistent in its pursuit of justice.

“It could not have been an easy 53 years for the Haron family, waiting for this to come,” said Matyobeni.

“I am privileged and humbled to be part of the NPA (National Prosecution Authority), that is now alive to the plight of South Africans who suffered under the apartheid regime and did not benefit from the sacrifices of their loved ones and is willing and able to make amends.”

Steve Biko’s son, Nkosinathi, also attended the inquest to offer support to Haron’s family. Biko, a feisty anti-apartheid activist, also died in police custody in Pretoria in 1977.

“Today is a very good day,” said Nkosinathi.

“It marks the end of a question that has been hanging over the nation for 53 years. We are members of the Apartheid Families Victims Group and we have been journeying with the Haron family for many, many years. What we must bemoan is that it has taken individual families to move these matters to this stage. This is a very important case. Hopefully, by dealing with these cases, we can instil a culture of accountability.”

The court will conduct an inspection in loco at the Cape Town central police station and Maitland police station on Tuesday. 

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