Court finds activist Neil Aggett killed by apartheid security force police

This after a drawn-out inquest was established in 2020 to take a closer look at the circumstances leading up to his death.

Aggett was found hanging in a jail cell at the then John Vorster Square in February 1982 after spending more than two months in custody.

Handing down judgement on Friday, Judge Motsamai Makume further implicated apartheid-era police security force member Steve Whithead for being responsible for Aggett’s death. 

“It is my well-considered view that Dr Neil Aggett did not commit suicide. He was killed by members of the security force at the John Vorster jail. There is evidence implicating Lt Steve Whitehead in the killing duly assisted by a police officer."

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“In conclusion, my findings are as follows, this court finds as follows the deceased is Dr Neil Aggett. Cause of death was hanging, the date of death 5 February 1982, the death was brought about by the members of the security branch state.”      

The inquest saw family members, experts and political activists testifying about their interactions with Aggett before his death and their experiences under detention without trial and the interrogation techniques and torture used by the Security Branch of the South African Police on political activists during apartheid. 

The court also conducted an inspection of the 2nd and 10th floor of the prison in Johannesburg, where political activists were kept and interrogated, as well as where the body of Aggett was found.