By Kouthar Sambo

“Takbeer, Allahu Akbar! Takbeer, Allahu Akbar (magnification of God)!”

These were the glorious echoes of supporters at the reopened inquest of the late cleric and Apartheid activist Imam Abdullah Haron, which reverberated throughout the corridors of the Western Cape High Court today.

This comes after Judge Daniel Thulare delivered the final verdict of the late Imam’s death.

Judgement

“The cause of death of Imam Abdullah Haron is attributable to the cumulative effect of injuries under torture, in particular a combination of severe systematic physiological stresses,” said Thulare.

He went on to cite the late Imam’s physical deterioration brought on by the severe torture of Apartheid authorities, eventually leading to his death on 27 September 1969.

“The security branch of the South African Police (SAPS) is held accountable for the death of the late Imam Haron. The officers primarily responsible for brutality and torturing the Imam to death are Lieutenant Colonel Carel Johannes Freysen Pienaar, Major Dirk Kotze Genis, Captain Ebanis Jogiemus Johannes Geldenhuys and Sergeant Johannes Petrus ‘Spyker’ van Wyk,” confirmed Thulare.

He further emphasized that the findings of Magistrate Koen under the Apartheid regime was biased as he was protecting the interest of the security branch responsible for torturing the Imam.

“The uncritical acceptance of the improper version of the security branch cannot be supported. The police failed to explain the trauma and injuries, and no other explanation was provided by the security branch for those injuries,” reiterated Thulare.

Torture

The judge dissected extensive medical reports of the late Imam, and according to the post-mortem report, the so-called “accidental death” of the late Imam failed to align with the severe bruises and injuries evident on the late Imam’s body.

These injuries tell a different story – a story that revealed the late Imam’s death was not an accident but a murder.

“The bruises found on the body of the Imam could not have been caused by falling down the stairs. Dr Helman could not see how the Imam could roll down all those stairs unless he burned himself all the way down,” said Thulare.

“The side of his injuries, in a circumferential nature, may be difficult to sustain by a fall down the stairs, and there was no basis for the Magistrate to ignore this evidence in favour of the version of the security branch.”

Closure

Furthermore, the son of the late anti-Apartheid activist Mohamed Haron said he never needed the court of law to confirm his father was murdered. He always knew it.

“The final verdict brought some closure to our family and the community. If only this could have happened decades ago instead of 54 years down the line, and if only we could have prosecuted each of those murderers who died,” added Haron.

Meanwhile, the daughter of the late Imam Fatiema Haron-Masoet said the Judge uncovered the cause of her father’s death very clearly, and that “justice has been served.”

“As a family, we will not have complete closure because there is no one to prosecute. The 1970 inquest no longer exists, but the record has been set straight since the truth has been told through the new records and court of law,” expressed an emotional Masoet.

Photo: VOCfm