The much-anticipated judgment of the reopened inquest into the death of Imam Abdullah Haron is set to be heard in the Western Cape High Court on Monday morning.
Haron’s family and supporters gathered in the courtroom in anticipation of the verdict of Judge Daniel Thulare, who presided over the inquiry during November last year.
For the Imam Haron Foundation (IHF), Haron’s daughter Fatima Haron-Masoet said while the judgment comes half a century after her father’s death, they are hopeful for justice.
“The IHF welcomes Judge Thulare’s decision which we have been anxiously waiting for. Over the past 50 years, we held the view that Imam Haron was brutally murdered. We therefore would want the truth to be told about the cause of his death, and would wish some form of closure.
“Besides the fact that he was subjected to unrelenting brutality and torture during his detention of 123 days, the state’s 1970 Imam Haron inquest – and those of numerous others – was a travesty of justice. In fact, all the apartheid officials, including members of the medical and legal fraternity that took part in that case – except for the family’s lawyers, of course – were guilty of having covered up the real causes of his tragic death," said Haron-Masoet.
Haron, a political activist and imam at Cape Town's Stegman Road Mosque, was arrested on May 28, 1969 under the Terrorism Act, held in solitary confinement for 123 days, subjected to near-daily interrogations, and died in police custody at Maitland police station on September 27, 1969.
Imam Haron was critical of apartheid and had close ties with the then banned PAC.
“Though a half a century later, the IHF and all who seek justice look forward to a fresh verdict, one that should report and record the actual truth that resulted in Imam Haron’s death on 27th September 1969,” said Haron-Masoet.
Cape Times