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I would never commit suicide, you’d have to kill me — Essop at Timol inquest

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Day two of the inquest into the death of freedom fighter and anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol continued today at the South Gauteng High Court, where Dr Saleem Essop resumed his testimony.

A pivotal moment from today’s proceedings was when Essop was asked by the lawyer representing the Timol family, advocate Howard Varney, if he had the physical capacity to commit suicide while he was being held at John Vorster Square, given the torturous conditions he underwent.

“No, I don’t think I would have had the physical capacity at all,” Essop replied immediately.

He explained that he was never left alone, and the only place where he could have attempted suicide was by jumping from the window of an office he was hardly ever in.

“But mentally, did that thought pass through in your mind,” Judge Billy Mothle asked him.

“For me, life has been one long process of survival. I don’t see myself as a victim, ever. Under any circumstances. I see myself as a survivor. I see myself as protesting right through. That whoever tried to kill me, I would, you know, try to prevent that happening. Mentally, I don’t have any disposition to ever contemplate suicide,” Essop said firmly, as members of the court room listened to him intently.

‘Timol would have been proud of free SA’

Essop was arrested along with Timol on the evening of October 22 1971, when Timol was just 30 years old. Four days later Timol died after he had allegedly jumped to his death from the 10th floor of the police station known then as John Vorster Square.

His family, however, disputed this and the ruling by apartheid magistrate JJ de Villiers, and after much convincing managed to get the National Prosecuting Authority to reopen the case in order to establish the true reason behind his death.

Yesterday Essop, who now resides in the United Kingdom, described in detail his friendship with Timol, saying that Timol would have been “proud of the free South Africa” we have today.

Today, various high-profile figures were in attendance including Nkosinathi Biko, son of Steve Biko, and George Bizos, prominent human rights lawyer.

Essop recounted in detail the torture he had experienced by the apartheid police, saying that he was tortured for four days before being hospitalised. Some of the various torture methods that he endured include being suffocated with a plastic bag and being slapped and kicked.

The afternoon proceedings saw an inspection of John Vorster Square (now the Johannesburg Central Police Station) where Timol had died, Judge Mothle requesting Essop to accompany the inquest into the inspection. Proceedings are set to continue tomorrow at 10am.

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