Fonds AK3388 - Ahmed Timol Inquest, records

Inquest No. 2361/71 Annexure to Form J.56, listing the names of the affidavits produced by the Public Prosecutor for ... Exhibits "A-L" Exhibits "M-W" Exhibits "X-AA8" Exhibits "BB-KK" Exhibits "LL-OO" Exhibits "PP1-11" Exhibits "QQ1-23" Exhibits "RR1-7"
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Identity area

Reference code

ZA HPRA AK3388

Title

Ahmed Timol Inquest, records

Date(s)

  • 1971-1972 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

Digital collection

Context area

Name of creator

(20th Century)

Biographical history

Archival history

The Inquest records in this collection were donated by Advocate M.A. Loonat to the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, who subsequently made the collection available to Historical Papers for digitisation.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Ahmed Timol, a teacher from Roodepoort, was a student activist and later became a member of the South African Communist Party. He went to London in 1967, where he took up a teaching post, supporting his family in South Africa. He also met with former comrades and friends from the Communist Party and the ANC who selected Ahmed Timol to attend the International Lenin School in Moscow from February to October 1969. Back in London, and before leaving to go back to South Africa, he received training in underground political work. He returned to South Africa in February 1970, resuming his teaching post in Roodepoort.
Ahmed Timol was arrested at a roadblock in October 1971, together with Salim Essop, and subsequently taken to the John Vorster Square police station. He was severly tortured by the security police and died in police custody on the 27 October 1971, by falling from the 10th floor to his death.
An Inquest was opened on 1 December 1971 at the Johannesburg Magistrate by J.J.L. de Villiers, with D.W. Rothwell and A.L.T. Beukes as Public Prosecutors, and Advocate I.A. Maisels QC and Advocate G. Bizos, and instructing attorneys M.S.H. Cachalia and M.A. Loonat presenting the Timol family. The hearing had to be adjourned due to Advocate Maisels request to access documents in the case. After lengthy interventions hearings were resumed in April 1972. The post mortem was carried out by the pathologist Dr Nicolaas Schepers, assisted by Dr J. Gluckman at the request of the Timol family.
The Magistrate announced his findings on the 22 June 1972, saying that Ahmed Timol had committed suicide whilst in police custody, and that nobody was to be blamed for his death.

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Conditions governing access

Conditions governing reproduction

Permission to publish parts of the Collection has to be obtained from the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation.

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Finding aids

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

The original records are held at the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Johannesburg.

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Notes area

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Archivist's note

Please note: A substantial part of the hearings, being pages 1-652, are missing.

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