Post on 08-Feb-2021
transcript
ON1 THE 25th O C T O B E R 19B2
ON R E S U M P T I O N : A P P E A R A N C E S AS B E F O R E
R UL ING ON A D M I S S I O N OF A F F I D A V I T S
BY COURT
On the 2nd Ma rc h, 1982 the first date of the h e a r i n g
in p u b l i c of this I n q u es t, the p r e s i d i n g m a g i s t r a t e r e m a r k e d ;
"..I d o n' t wa n t to be d o g m a t i c a bo ut this but I t hi nk
it w o u l d be very h e l p f u l if you c o u l d f u r n i s h such
s t a t e m e n t s as you p r o p o s e to p l a ce b e f o r e me by the
26th Ma rch , w o u l d that be s u i t a b l e to e v e r y b o d y ? " (101
Mr B i zo s r e s p o n d e d -
It is a go o d date to w o r k to your W o r s h i p , but
as your W o r s h i p has i n d i c a t e d , t h er e may be d i f f i c u l
ty, but we wi l l c e r t a i n l y try w h a t e v e r s t a t e m e n t s
we hav e r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e to us, to file t h e m w i t h
your W o r s h i p b e f o r e or On that da t e . "
On the sam e date Mr B i z o s i n d i c a t e d tha t the l a w y e r s for
the A g g e t t fa m i l y w a n t e d to o b t a i n s t a t e m e n t s from f e l l o w -
d e t a i n e e s of the late Dr A gg e t t , w h i c h m i g h t t h r o w l i g ht on
the c i r c u m s t a n c e s of his death. It a p p e a r s from a c o p y (201
of a t e l e x d a te d 3rd M a r c h , 1982, a d d r e s s e d to the M i n i s t e r
of Law and Or de r, that the p e r s o n s they had in m i n d were
A u r e t van H e e r d e n , K e i t h C o l e m a n , E l i z a b e t h Fl oy d, P h i r o s
K g a t s h a l i a , Sisa N j i k e l a n e and T h o m a s i l e Kw e t h a .
In this t e l e x it was r e q u e s t e d , i n t e r a l i a , that an
a s s u r a n c e be g i v e n by you that no d e t a i n e e at p r e s e n t in the
c u s t o d y of the S o u t h A f r i c a n Po l i c e , wi l l b e a p p r o a c h e d or
i n t e r r o g a t e d in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h the i n f o r m a t i o n w h i c h he
has or g i v e s in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h the In qu e s t . In r e p l y to
the a f o r e m e n t i o n e d te le x, the M i n i s t e r o b e r s e r v e d i nt er a l i a ; ( 3 0 ̂
" . . I f you are in p o s s e s s i o n of any r e l e v a n t i n f o r
m a t i o n /
m a t i o n w h i c h you b e l i e v e w o u l d as s is t the m a g i s t r a t e
in h o l d i n g a m e a n i n g f u l e n q u i r y , you are r e q u e s t e d
to c o n v e y the i n f o r m a t i o n to the i n v e s t i g a t i n g
o f f i c e r c o n c e r n e d . He will i n s t i t u t e a p r o p e r i n
v e s t i g a t i o n and s u b m i t his f i n d i n g s to the P u b l i c
P r o s e c u t o r as p r e s c r i b e d by S e c t i o n A of the I n q u e s t
Act, 195 9."
It a p p e a r s from f u r t h e r c o r r e s p o n d e n c e that the l a w y e r s
for the fa m i l y were not p r e p a r e d to a p p r o a c h the i n v e s t i g a t i n g
o f f i c e r , see for i n s t a n c e the t e l e x sent to the M i n i s t e r of ( 10J
J u s t i c e on the 3rd Ma rc h, 1982, p a r a g r a p h 4.3, in s pit e of
the fact that S e c t i o n 3 of the I n q u e s t Act p l a c e s a duty on
the p o l i c e to i n v e s t i g a t e the c i r c u m s t a n c e s of the death.
W he n the I n q u e s t was r e s u m e d b e f o r e us on the 13t h of
A p ri l 1982, no a f f i d a v i t by an e x - d e t a i n e e or a d e t a i n e e had
bee n s u b m i t t e d for c o n s i d e r a t i o n . On thi s date an a f f i d a v i t
by Mr M a u r i c e S m i t h e r s was h a n d e d in. N e v e r t h e l e s s , we
b e g a n to hear e v i d e n c e .
D u r i n g the p r o c e e d i n g s it b e c a m e o b v i o u s that a d e c i s i o n
u n de r the n o t i o n of s i m i l a r facts, w h e t h e r a d m i t t e d or not, (20
w o u l d g r e a t l y a f f e c t the c o u r s e of the p r o c e e d i n g s e x p r e s s l y
the s co pe of e x p l a n a t i o n of the w i t n e s s e s . In s p i t e of
this, and in s p i t e of u n d e r t a k i n g s by the l eg al a d v i s e r s ,
t h e s e a f f i d a v i t s w e r e th e n st ill not s u b m i t t e d . I then
p o s t p o n e d the p r o c e e d i n g s for a n u m b e r of days, to a f f o r d
the l a w y e r s for the A g g e t t f a m i l y the o p p o r t u n i t y to s u b m i t
the a f f i d a v i t s for c o n s i d e r a t i o n .
A n u m b e r of a f f i d a v i t s by d e t a i n e e s or e x - d e t a i n e e s w e r e
then s u b m i t t e d . All the p e r s o n s a f o r e m e n t i o n e d , e x c e p t
A u r e t van H e e r d e n s u b m i t t e d a f f i d a v i t s . I was then in- (31
f o r m e d that A u r e t van H e e r d e n was not p r e p a r e d to s u b m i t a
w r i t t e n /
w r i t t e n s t a t e m e n t at that stage. T her e was no s p e c i f i c
m e n t i o n of a f f i d a v i t s by any o t h er d e t a i n e e i n t e n d e d to be
h a n d e d in, in future.
A ft er h e a r i n g the a r g u m e n t of both C o u n s e l I a n n o u n c e
my r u l i n g on the a d m i s s i b i l i t y on e a c h one of the a f f i d a v i t s .
So me o f . t h e a f f i d a v i t s , i n c l u d i n g t h os e of Ph i r o s K g a t s h a l i a ,
S a m s o n Nd ao and M o n t g o m e r y N a r s o o w er e not a d m i t t e d and it
was not d i r e c t e d that they be c a l l e d to give oral e v i d e n c e .
The p r o c e e d i n g s were then p r o c e e d e d with, and e x a m i n a - (1C
t io n a l l o w e d in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h es e r u l i n g s . On the 29th
June, 1982 the m a t t e r was p o s t p o n e d to the 13th S e p t e m b e r ,
1982. The a t t o r n e y s for the A g g e t t f a m i l y t h e r e a f t e r
s u b m i t t e d the f o l l o w i n g f u r t h e r a f f i d a v i t s ; on the 13t h
S e p t e m b e r , 1982 an a f f i d a v i t by E ri c N t o n g a , on the 15th
S e p t e m b e r , 1982 a s u p p l e m e n t a r y a f f i d a v i t by M o n t g o m e r y N ar s o o .
On the 20th S e p t e m b e r , 1982 a s u p p l e m e n t a r y a f f i d a v i t by
P h i r o s K g a t s h a l i a , and a n o t h e r one by S a m s o n Nd ao, and an
a f f i d a v i t by Frnk C h i k a n i and a n o t h e r a f f i d a v i t by A u r e t
van H e e r d e n . On the 23 r d S e p t e m b e r , 1982 an a f f i d a v i t by (20
B a r b a r a Anne Hogan. On the 5th of O c t o b e r , 19 8 2 an
a f f i d a v i t by G i l b e r t J oh n M a r c u s , a f f i d a v i t s by D e n i s A n t h o n y
van H e e r d e n , Ru t h E s t e l l e B e c k e r , and G i l b e r t J o h n M a r c u s
a t t a c h e d to it. On the 1 3 t h of O c t o b e r , 19 82 an a f f i
d a v i t by Dr Ivan Cohen.
It may be m e n t i o n e d that r e c e n t l y I al s o r e c e i v e d
a f f i d a v i t s by p o l i c e m e n i m p l i c a t e d by the e x - d e t a i n e e s who
t e s t i f i e d , Dr J a c o b s o n and A d v o c a t e S w a n e p o e l . But
the c i r c u m s t a n c e s of t h e s e a f f i d a v i t s are c l e a r l y d i f f e r e n t
from t h o s e s u b m i t t e d by the a t t o r n e y s , and it is not (30
n e c e s s a r y to deal w i t h t h e m in d e t a i l in the p r e s e n t c o n t e x t .
It/
It goes w i t h o u t s a y i n g that this delay, the s u b m i s s i o n
of a f f i d a v i t s by the a t t o r n e y s , w h e t h e r done d e l i b e r a t e l y or
not, c a n n o t be a p p r o v e d of. It m i g h t s e rv e the p u r p o s e
of the d e p o n e n t or s o m e b o d y else, but it c e r t a i n l y c a u s e s at
le ast m u c h i n c o n v e n i e n c e to the o t h e r s who are t a k i n g part
in the p r o c e e d i n g s .
I n T imo l & Ano vs The M a g i s t r a t e , J o h a n n e s b u r g . 1972 ( 2 )
5 A 7 B 1 T the L e a r n e d J u d g e s o b s e r v e d at page 290 C -
"The m a g i s t r a t e m us t ha ve all the d o c u m e n t s in his
p o s s e s s i o n , not only to d e c i d e on w h e t h e r he s h o u l d (loj
hold an I n q u es t, but also to ta k e v a r i o u s ot her
d e c i s i o n s and to e x e r c i s e his d i s c r e t i o n in a n u m b e r
of r e s p e c t s . "
An d at pa ge 292 B -
"O t h e r d u t i e s of the m a g i s t r a t e such as e n s u r i n g
that the c o n d u c t of the I n q u e s t does not pa ss out of
his han ds, ha v e a l r e a d y bee n m e n t i o n e d " .
The p r o c e d u r e a d o p t e d by the a t t o r n e y s , t e nd s to i g n o r e t h e s e
o b s e r v a t i o n s and to m a k e it very d i f f i c u l t for the p r e s i d i n g
o f f i c e r to e x e r c i s e his f u n c t i o n p r o p e r l y . It al s o t e n d s (20
to f r u s t r a t e the p o l i c y e x p r e s s e d in the m a x i m u m i n t e r e s t
res p u b l i c a e ut cit f i n is l i t i u m (?). H o w e v e r , I r e c e i v e
the a f f i d a v i t s , a g a i n I a f f o r d e d bo th C o u n s e l the o p p o r t u n i t y
to a d d r e s s me on the q u e s t i o n me on w h e t h e r the d e p o n e n t s
s h o u l d be c a l l e d to give e v i d e n c e or not.
A g a i n I c o n s i d e r e d each a f f i d a v i t on its m e r i t s in the
l i gh t of the i n f o r m a t i o n a v a i l a b l e to me. I wi l l now deal
w i t h ea c h one of the a f f i d a v i t s .
P h i r o s K q a t s h a l i a : It a p p e a r s that the s u p p l e m e n t a r y
a f f i d a v i t s u b m i t t e d by Mr K g a t s h a l i a , is done w i t h the in- (30
tent to m a n o e u v r e a r o u n d the R u l i n g I h a v e m a d e p r e v i o u s l y
a f f e c t i n g /
a f f e c t i n g him. It mu st be b o r ne in min d that he was
in d e t e n t i o n when he c o m p i l e d the i n i t i a l a f f i d a v i t , a p p a
r e n t l y w it h the a s s i s t a n c e of an a t t o r n e y . On his own
a d m i s s i o n he w i t h h e l d v i t al i n f o r m a t i o n in his i n i t i a l a f f i
d a v i t to s er ve his own p u r p o s e s . When I r u l e d the i n f o r
m a t i o n c o m i n g from him i n a d m i s s i b l e I r e m a r k e d , i n te r alia,
he does not m e n t i o n the n a m e s of the p e r s o n or the p e r s o n s
r e s p o n s i b l e . In his s u p p l e m e n t a r y a f f i d a v i t he s ta te d,
and I q u o t e :
" . .I n p a r a g r a p h 13 of my p r e v i o u s a f f i d a v i t I
d e s c r i b e d the u n l a w f u l t r e a t m e n t to w h i c h I was s u b
m i t t e d by m e m b e r s of the S e c u r i t y P o l i c e w h i l e I
was un der i n t e r r o g a t i o n at John V o r s t e r Sq ua re .
H o w e v e r , I p u r p o s e l y did not na m e the m e m b e r s of
the S e c u r i t y P o l i c e who c o m m i t t e d the u n l a w f u l
acts, for the f o l l o w i n g r e a s o n s -
1. At the tim e of m a k i n g my p r e v i o u s a f f i d a v i t
the legal r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of the A g g e t t fa m i l y
who w e r e u n a b l e to a d v i s e me w i t h any d e g r e e
of c e r t a i n t y , that I w o u l d be c a l l e d u p o n to
gi ve e v i d e n c e at the I n q u e s t ,
2. H a v i n g a l r e a d y bee n d e t a i n e d t h r e e t im e s , I
c o u l d not d i s c o u n t the p o s s i b i l i t y that I w o u l d
have f u t u r e c o n t a c t wi th the S e c u r i t y Po l i c e ,
and in p a r t i c u l a r I c o u l d not d i s c o u n t the p o s s i
b i l i t y of b e i n g d e t a i n e d and i n t e r r o g a t e d by
the S e c u r i t y p o l i c e at some time in the futur e.
3. At the time of m a k i n g my p r e v i o u s a f f i d a v i t , I
was of the v i e w that by n a m i n g the S e c u r i t y
p o l i c e m e n w h o s e u n l a w f u l c o n d u c t is d e s c r i b e d
in p a r a g r a p h 13 of my p r e v i o u s a f f i d a v i t I -
w o u l d /
w o u l d be e x p o s i n g m y s e l f to the a d d i t i o n a l risk
of b e in g m a l t r e a t e d by the S e c u r i t y p o l i c e , so
na med , d u r i n g my f u t u r e p e r i o d of d e t e n t i o n w h i c h
I co uld u n d e r g o . "
A f t e r this s u p p l e m e n t a r y a f f i d a v i t was s u b m i t t e d , I re-
q u e s t i o n the s e n i o r .P u b 1 ic P r o s e c u t o r to m ak e a s t a t e m e n t ,
ma de by Mr K g a t s h a l i a to S e r g e a n t Bl om and r e f e r r e d to in
p a r a g r a p h 1 0 . (b) of his a f f i d a v i t a v a i l a b l e . In this
s t a t e m e n t , he r e l a t e d to his t r e a t m e n t d u r i n g his d e t e n t i o n
and s t a t e d i nt er a l i a ; (11
"The p e r s o n w h o a s s a u l t e d me is the same p e r s o n
who b r o u g h t me to D e t e c t i v e - s e r g e a n t B l o m who to o k
my s t a t e m e n t on the 9th of J a n u a r y , 1982. I d o n' t
kn ow what his n a m e is and I w i l l ( w o n ' t ? - not c l e a r
a e r o p l a n e fl y in g o v e r h e a d ) . . . be able to i d e n t i f y
him a g a i n if I s h o u l d see hi m."
And f u r t h e r , in his s t a t e m e n t ,
"I wa nt to say tha t the f ir st a s s a u l t was not as bad
as the s e c o n d o c c a s i o n , and th at C a p t a i n S w a n e p o e l
was p r e s e n t on the s e c o n d o c c a s i o n as well as a n o t h e r ( 2
p e r s o n w h o m I c a n ' t r e m e m b e r , as well as the o f f i c e r
in q u e s t i o n , w h o m I was a s s a u l t e d by."
Now it is r e m a r k a b l e tha t f i r s t l y Mr K g a t s h a l i a did not
k n o w the na me of his a s s a i l l a n t w h e n he m a d e the s t a t e m e n t to
S e r g e a n t Blom, c o n t r a ; his s u p p l e m e n t a r y a f f i d a v i t w h e r e he
did m e n t i o n it w i t h o u t e x p l a i n i n g how he got to k n o w it.
And s e c o n d l y , he did gi v e a c l e a r i n d i c a t i o n of the i d e n t i t y
of his a s s a i l l a n t , and l at er m e n t i o n e d C a p t a i n S w a n e p o e l as
b e i n g p r e s e n t w h e n he was a s s a u l t e d . This t e n d s to m a k e
n o n s e n s e of the r e a s o n s a d v a n c e d for not n a m i n g the p o l i c e - (3
men i n v o l v e d .
N o t w i t h - /
N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g the a f o r e m e n t i o n e d o b s e r v a t i o n s , I
a gai n c o n s i d e r the i n f o r m a t i o n c o m i n g from Mr K g a t s h a l i a .
. Sa ms o n Ndao : Thi s a p p e a r s to be a n o t h e r case w h e r e
a s u p p l e m e n t a r y a f f i d a v i t was fi led to m a n o e u v r e a r o u n d the
R u l i n g I have made p r e v i o u s l y a f f e c t i n g him. Wh en I
a n n o u n c e d that r ul in g, I r e m a r k e d in ter a l i a , 'he m e n t i o n s
a s s a u l t s but d o e s n ' t s t a t e w h e r e and by wh o m . " In his
s u p p l e m e n t a r y a f f i d a v i t , the n a m e s I have m e n t i o n e d - and
he s a y s , I q u ot e :
" . .I n p a r a g r a p h 10 of my p r e v i o u s a f f i d a v i t I de- (1C
s c r i b e d the u n l a w f u l t r e a t m e n t to w h i c h I was s u b
m i t t e d by m e m b e r s of the S e c u r i t y p o l i c e w h i l e .in
d e t e n t i o n . H o w e v e r , I p u r p o s e l y did not name
the m e m b e r s of the S e c u r i t y p o l i c e who c o m m i t t e d
the u n l a w f u l acts, b e c a u s e at the time of m a k i n g
my p r e v i o u s a f f i d a v i t I was not c e r t a i n w h e t h e r
my a f f i d a v i t w o u l d be us e d in the p r o c e e d i n g s and
was a c c o r d i n g l y of the o p i n i o n t h a t to ri sk m a k i n g
any m e n t i o n of the S e c u r i t y p o l i c e t h a t some c e r
t a i n t y th a t I w o u l d m a k e a m e a n i n g f u l c o n t r i b u t i o n ( 2
to the In qu es t, w o u l d not be in my i n t e r e s t . "
A f te r thi s s u p p l e m e n t a r y a f f i d a v i t was s u b m i t t e d , I
r e q u e s t e d the S e n i o r P u b l i c P r o s e c u t o r to m a k e a s t a t e m e n t
r e f e r r e d to in p a r a g r a p h 9(b) of the i n i t i a l a f f i d a v i t by Mr
Nd ao , a v a i l a b l e .
In thi s s t a t e m e n t , d a t e d the 25 t h J a n u a r y , 1982, he
s t a t e d i n t e r a l i a :
" . .O n T u e s d a y 12t h J a n u a r y , 1982 at a p p r o x i m a t e l y
7 . 0 0 a.m. t h r e e of the i n v e s t i g a t i n g o f f i c e r s came
to me at my cell, and to ok me to the 4th floor of (3
the same p o l i c e s ta ti o n . Th ey w er e all W h i t e
m a le s and t hei r n a m e s are u n k n o w n to me."
And f u r t h e r on -
".. The said p e r s o n s had no ri gh t to a s s a u l t me,
and I will be able to i d e n t i f y the m at any time.
I d e s i r e p o l i c e i n v e s t i g a t i o n and p r o s e c u t i o n
a g a i n s t the m a t t e r . "
Now it is c l e a r that Mr Naisoo said f i r s t l y he did not kno w
the n a me s of the p e r s o n s i n v o l v e d , c o n t r a : In his s u p p l e m e n
tar y a f f i d a v i t w h e r e he did m e n t i o n the n am es w i t h o u t e x p l a i n
ing how he got to know them, and s e c o n d l y he did give a ( 1 0
c l e a r i n d i c a t i o n that he is able and p r e p a r e d to i d e n t i f y
them, and that he w a n t e d s t ep s to be t a k e n a g a i n s t them.
This is h a r d l y r e c o n c i l e a b l e w i t h the r e a s o n s g i v e n in the
s u p p l e m e n t a r y a f f i d a v i t , for not n a m i n g the p e r s o n s in his
i n i t i a l aff i d a v i t .
The s t r i k i n g s i m i l a r i t y b e t w e e n the r e a s o n s a d v a n c e d
by Mr Naisooand Mr K g a t s h a l i a as a f o r e m e n t i o n e d , is r e m a r k a b l e .
On his own a d m i s s i o n , MrNaisoo w i t h e l d vital i n f o r m a t i o n in
his i n i t i a l a f f i d a v i t , to s e r ve his own p u r p o s e s , n o t w i t h
s t a n d i n g this o b s e r v a t i o n , I a g a i n c o n s i d e r the i n f o r m a t i o n ( 2 0
c o m i n g from Mr Naisoo.
M o n t g o m e r y Naisoo : Mr N a r s o o is one of the p e r s o n s
I p r e v i o u s l y d e c i d e d not to call to giv e or a l e v i d e n c e . In
a s u p p l e m e n t a r y a f f i d a v i t he g i v e s m o r e d e t a i l s , and s e e m s
to give full r e a s o n s why my r u l i n g a f f e c t i n g him s h o u l d be
r e c o n s i d e r e d .
B o t h the a f f i d a v i t s by Mr Naisoo are again considered.
Eric N t o n q a : I p e r u s e d his a f f i d a v i t c a r e f u l l y . So m e
of the i n f o r m a t i o n h e r e is c l e a r l y h e a r s a y and of no e v i d e n
tial value, and f u r t h e r m o r e he has n o t h i n g new to say (30
w h i c h m i g h t a s s i s t us on the l e ga l i s s u e s b e f o r e us. He was
n o t /
not a s s a u l t e d but a l l e g e d that he was t h r e a t e n e d .
F ran k C h i k a n i : It a p p e a r s from his s t a t e m e n t that
he has n o t h i n g new to say ab out the late Dr Agg ett .
B a r b a r a A n n e H o g a n : Her nam e was f r e q u e n t l y m e n t i o n e d
d u r i n g the p r o c e e d i n g s b e f o r e us. She a l l e g e s that she
was a s s a u l t e d on the. 22n d of O c t o b e r , 1981 and the 14th.
N o v e m b e r 1981 - t h a t ' s p ri or to the d e t e n t i o n of Dr Ag ge tt .
It is well k n o w n that two p o l i c e m e n we re t r i e d on t h e se a l l e
g a t i o n s in a c r i m i n a l co urt , and that t h e y we r e a c q u i t t e d .
It is also no w k n o w n that she is at p r e s e n t s e r v i n g a sen- ( 1 0
t e n c e of i m p r i s o n m e n t r e s u l t i n g from a c o n v i c t i o n in the
S u p r e m e Co urt , of i n t e r alia Hi g h T r e a s o n .
T h er e is n o t h i n g in her a f f i d a v i t i n d i c a t i n g that she
ev er saw Dr A g g e t t in p e r s o n , and that she k n o w s a n y t h i n g
a b o u t t r e a t m e n t he r e c e i v e d at Jo h n V o r s t e r S q ua re .
It a p p e a r s from the a f f i d a v i t s by M e s s r s C h i k a n i , N t o n g a ,
N a r s o o , Ndao, K g a t s h a l i a and M i s s Ho ga n, that n o n e of th em
w i t n e s s e d and a s s a u l t of any kind of i l l t r e a t m e n t o n r. Dr A g g e t t .
It is o b v i o u s that t h ei r a f f i d a v i t s are t e n d e r e d to give
e v i d e n c e on t h e i r own t r e a t m e n t , and in so me c a s e s to gi ve (2C
an a c c o u n t of o b s e r v a t i o n s of Dr Ag g e t t .
It mu st be p o i n t e d out that we h a v e a l r e a d y h e a r d a
n u m b e r of e x - d e t a i n e e s t e s t i f y i n g on the c o n d i t i o n of Dr
A g g e t t , and of t h e ir o b s e r v a t i o n s of him, and I i n t e n d to
ca l l a n o t h e r one, one who s e e m s to h a v e had c l o s e c o n t a c t
w i t h Dr A g g e t t d u r i n g his d e t e n t i o n .
I w a n t to e m p h a s i z e that I c o n s i d e r e v e r y k in d of i n
f o r m a t i o n w h i c h th ey can p o s s i b l y give. That was a ls o the
ca se w h e n I p r e v i o u s l y c o n s i d e r e d t h e i r a d m i s s i b i l i t y . I
t h i n k it is not n e c e s s a r y to s t r e s s the fact th a t w h e n I (3C
e x e r c i s e my d i s c r e t i o n on w h a t to adm it , not on ly the n a t u r e
a n d /
and q u a li ty , but also the q u a n t u m must be b o rn e in mind.
I do not i n t e n d to call M e s s r s C h i k a n i , Nt o n g a , N a r s o o , Ndao,
K g a t s h a l i a and Miss H o g a n to give e v i d e n c e in this I n q u e s t ,
and th eir a f f i d a v i t s are not a c c e p t e d as p r o o f of the facts
s t a t e d t h e r e i n .
It' is my c o n s i d e r e d o p i n i o n that the e v i d e n c e of the
e v i d e n c e of the a f o r e m e n t i o n e d 6 p e r s o n s wil l not a s s i s t us
to mak e a f i n d i n g on the i s s u e s b e f o r e us. I i n t e n d to
say more on the value, if any, of e v i d e n c e a d m i t t e d u n d e r the
n o t i o n of s i m i l a r facts, at a la ter stage. That I b e l i e v e (10
w i l l t h ro w mo re light on this ru li ng .
A u re t van H e e r d e n : I was i n f o r m e d tha t Mr van H e e r d e n
was a p p r o a c h e d to make a w r i t t e n s t a t e m e n t r e l a t i n g to the
t r e a t m e n t of Dr A g g e t t at John V o r s t e r S q ua re . H o w e v e r ,
a f te r c o n s u l t a t i o n s with his legal a d v i s e r s he d e c l i n e d to do
so. He was at that time d e t a i n e d as a p r o s p e c t i v e w i t
ne s s for the p r o s e c u t i o n in a c r i m i n a l case. He was r e l e a s e d
on the 9th of July, 1982. O n l y on the 20th of S e p t e m b e r ,
1982 he m ad e and s u b m i t t e d the a f f i d a v i t now u n de r c o n s i d e r a
tion. ( 2 0
A f f i d a v i t s by G i l b e r t John M a r c u s and D e n i s A n t h o n y van
H e e r d e n , R u t h E s t e l l B e c k e r and Dr I Co h en , w e r e a l s o s u b
m i t t e d by the l e g al a d v i s e r s for the A g g e t t f a m i l y in s u p p o r t
of the a f f i d a v i t of A u r e t van H e e r d e n . An a f f i d a v i t by
A d v o c a t e S w a n e p o e l r e l a t i n g to his d e a l i n g s w i t h Mr van H e e r d e n
was also s u b m i t t e d .
Now it is c l ea r th a t i n f o r m a t i o n c o m i n g fr om Mr van
H e e r d e n 1s a f f i d a v i t can be d i v i d e d into tw o c a t e g o r i e s , n a m e l y -1
1. His c o n t a c t w i t h and o b s e r v a t i o n s of Dr A g g e t t in
d e t e n t i o n , and (30
2 . T r e a t m e n t s w h ic h he r e c e i v e d at the h a n d s of the
S e c u r i ty/
S e c u r i t y police.
As r e g a r d s to the t r e a t m e n t , I have come to the c o n
c l u s i o n that f u r t h e r e v i d e n c e of this n a t u r e c a n n o t a s s i s t
us to d e c i d e the i s s u e s on w h ic h we have to p r o n o u n c e , and
s hal l t h e r e f o r e not be ad mi t t e d .
H o w e v e r , Mr van H e e r d e n s h a ll be c a l l e d to g iv e e v i d e n c e
on his e n c o u n t e r s w i t h and o b s e r v a t i o n s of Dr A g g e t t at John
V o r s t e r S q u a r e p o l i c e s t a t i o n at the time of his d e t e n t i o n .
His a f f i d a v i t , p a r a g r a p h s 1 to 24, that is p a g e s 1-11 is
a d m i s s i b l e , and may be h a n d e d in when he is c a l l e d to give (10
e v i d e n c e . The rest is not a d m i s s i b l e .
It f o l l o w s that the a f f i d a v i t s by Mr G i l b e r t John M a r c u s ,
D e n i s A n t h o n y van H e e r d e n , Ru th E s t e l l e B e c k e r , Dr Ivan C o h e n
and Mr S w a n e p o e l r e s p e c t i v e l y , c a n n o t c o n t r i b u t e in any way
and are not a d m i t t e d as e v i d e n c e in t h e s e p r o c e e d i n g s .
I w o u l d also like to add that the nam e of Dr J a c o b s o n
was m e n t i o n e d w h e n C o u n s e l a d d r e s s e d me on the a d m i s s i b i l i t y
of e v i d e n c e - I have a l r e a d y d i r e c t e d that he also be c a l l e d
to giv e e v i d e n c e . T h a n k y o u , I will now a d j o u r n to get
the a t t e n d a n c e of the t e s t i m o n y . (20
AT THIS S T A G E C O UR T T A K E 5 A S H O R T A D J O U R N M E N T
ON R E S U M P T I O N :
A U R E T D E N I S VAN H E E R D E N Sw or n, s t at es :
E X A M I N E D BY ADV DE V R I E S
You w e r e d e t a i n e d from the 24th S e p t e m b e r , 1981 u n t i l
the 9th of July, 1982 u n d er v a r i o u s s e c t i o n s of v a r i o u s a c ts ?
--- That is c o r r e c t .
B e f o r e yo u r i n i t i a l d e t e n t i o n , did you kn ow the d e c e a s e d
D r A g g e t t ? --- I d i d .
Ho w we ll did you k n o w h im ? --- R e a s o n a b l y well. (30
On w h a t b a s i s did you k n o w h i m ? --- I k n e w him as a f r i e n d
a nd /
Historical Papers, Wits University
http://www.historicalpapers.wits.ac.za/admin/cms_header.php?pid=98[2013/03/12 07:52:17 AM]
Collection Number: AK2216 AGGETT, Dr Neil, Inquest, 1982 PUBLISHER:Publisher:- Historical Papers Research ArchiveLocation:- Johannesburg©2013
LEGAL NOTICES:
Copyright Notice: All materials on the Historical Papers website are protected by South African copyright law andmay not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, or otherwise published in any format, without the priorwritten permission of the copyright owner.
Disclaimer and Terms of Use: Provided that you maintain all copyright and other notices contained therein, youmay download material (one machine readable copy and one print copy per page) for your personal and/oreducational non-commercial use only.
People using these records relating to the archives of Historical Papers, The Library, University of the Witwatersrand,Johannesburg, are reminded that such records sometimes contain material which is uncorroborated, inaccurate,distorted or untrue. While these digital records are true facsimiles of paper documents and the information containedherein is obtained from sources believed to be accurate and reliable, Historical Papers, University of the Witwatersrandhas not independently verified their content. Consequently, the University is not responsible for any errors oromissions and excludes any and all liability for any errors in or omissions from the information on the website or any relatedinformation on third party websites accessible from this website.
This document is part of a collection deposited at the Historical Papers Research Archive at The University of the Witwatersrand.
AK2216 Agget Notice.pdfwww.historicalpapers.wits.ac.zaHistorical Papers, Wits University