Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

2 min read
29 December 2022 | 7:29 pm CAT

The family of Muslim clerical and social justice activist Imam Abdullah Haron finally had their day in court this year after years of agitation when a revived inquest into his death in jail in 1969 began at the High Court in Cape Town.

In May 1969, Haron was detained for 123 days under the Terrorism Act of the apartheid era. He was discovered dead in his cell at the Maitland Police Station on September 27 that year.

His family and the community never agreed with the original inquest’s conclusion that no one was to blame for his passing since they believed the security police tortured and killed him.

In conversation with Radio Islam International, Muhamed Haron said State Lawyers and certain experts identified a different look of the 1970 inquest and presented a new view from the report’s findings.

“The judge played a crucial role in approaching the issue in a very humane manner,” Haron added.

The Judge’s demeanour, alongside the expert witnesses, indicated that three sets of bruises contributed to the deceased’s injury and clear evidence of the late Iman being tortured until the last day of his life.

According to Haron, the family awaits a court call around April 2023. The Family and State Lawyers will present their findings, after which a judgment will follow.

Listen to the interview with Annisa Essack and Muhamed Haron on Radio Islam’s podcast.