Ahmed Timol's nephew: We are convinced he was killed
The nephew of anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol says the family is convinced that Timol was killed while in police custody in 1972.
Imtiaz Cajee spoke to Jacaranda FM News as the inquest into Timol's death of anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol enters a second day at the High Court in Johannesburg.
The court is expected to go on an in loco inspection of the scene where he died in 1972. Cajee says they firmly believe Timol did not commit suicide.
According to police, Timol jumped from the 10th floor of the Johannesburg Central Police Station but the family maintains he was killed while under interrogation.
Cajee says he made an application to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in 2002 after he had uncovered new leads related to his uncle's death, but the application was rejected.
"In 2005 I published a book in memory of my uncle, titled Timol: Quest for Justice and we had always felt it was important to us preserve the honor, legacy and the dignity of my beloved uncle," he says.
Cajee adds that they are hoping to remind South Africans, and specifically politicians of the grim days of apartheid, to inspire them to make the right decision.
"Politicians owe it to those who never witnessed democracy. We want to inspire them to do the right things. Inspire them to have the correct political conviction," he says.