Cape Town - There were tears and emotional scenes as the family of anti-apartheid Struggle activist Imam Abdullah Haron visited the police cells and the stairway where the imam was alleged to have had the fall which led to his death.
Surrounded by friends and relatives, as well as court officials and journalists, the imam’s three children Muhammed, Fatiema and Shamila Haron stoically tried to contain their emotions during the visit, but at times found it impossible to stop the tears.
The visit was part of an inspection in loco by Judge Daniel Thulare, who is presiding over the inquest, and took in Cape Town Central police station (formerly Caledon Square police station) and the Maitland police station.
These were the two police stations where Imam Haron was kept and tortured during his 123 days in police custody. He was later found dead in his cell at Maitland police station.
Outside the cells, Nkosinathi Biko, CEO of the Steve Biko Foundation and a friend of the Haron family, spoke of the emotional wrench the family was experiencing as they saw the cells where their father was held and the staircase he allegedly fell down.
“It’s a very emotive moment. And I can only imagine what the family are going through because for many of them it will be the first time they will have seen these places.”
Remembering his own experience, Biko said the apartheid security police had three regular explanations for deaths that occurred in custody and these were that the person died by suicide, fell down the stairs or slipped on a bar of soap.
During the visit to Cape Town Central police station, aeronautical engineer and trajectory expert Thivash Moodley dramatically demonstrated how the apartheid police alleged Imam Haron fell down the stairs.
In the original inquest, apartheid security branch police officers Johannes “Spyker” van Wyk and Dirk Genis claimed Haron slipped, fell backwards and slid down the stairs and stopped two or three steps from the bottom.
When the inquest returned to the courtroom, Moodley gave evidence based on his technical assessment report of Imam Haron’s alleged fall.
Moodley said: “If Haron had fallen backwards on the highest step when he supposedly landed, he would have most likely landed on the landing located on the bend, and may not have slid down the stairs.”
“Given that there is no bruising on the buttocks, the back, aside from the small circular bruise on the back, neck or head, and considering the magnitude of the impact velocities that Haron’s body parts would have struck the stairs with, the police version that all Haron’s injuries were sustained during a fall down a staircase is, in my opinion, not credible.”
He said in contrast, there were significant injuries on Haron’s chest, inner-right thigh and calf, both shins and left hamstring which could not be connected to the alleged fall.
The inquest continues.
