The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has welcomed the dismissal of an application for a permanent stay of prosecution by former apartheid police officer, Joao Rodrigues’. Rodrigues is accused of Ahmed Timol’s murder in 1971 – when he was thrown to his death from the 10th floor of Johannesburg Central Police Station.
80-year-old Rodrigues argued that the prosecution will violate his right to dignity – as he would be tried in his old age for a crime allegedly committed 48 years ago.
Speaking outside the High Court in Johannesburg, NPA spokesperson Phindi Louw says the judgment affirms the rule of law. “It is in the interest of justice – as the court ruled – that those who are alleged to have perpetrated violent crimes should be held accountable and brought to court. We don’t want to pre-empt what will happen, as the NPA, because the word we have currently from his lawyers is that they want to study the judgment and then they will inform us on whether they wish to appeal or not. Obviously if they appeal we cannot go to trial, we need to first exhaust that process and then we can set the trial date.
Meanwhile, the family of the anti-Apartheid activist, Ahmed Timol, have expressed satisfaction with today’s dismissal of the application for a permanent stay of prosecution by former apartheid police officer, Joao Rodrigues’. Timol’s nephew, Imtiaz Cajee, was speaking after judgement was handed down at the High Court in Johannesburg
“Totally excited and truly humbled – we had always known that the truth will be on our side. Today’s judgement is not just a victory for Timol, but for all the activists who died. 25 years since the birth of democracy, there has been no progress on the investigations. This is a clear message that apartheid perpetrators can no longer use the excuse of the time delay, or like Rodrigues, did talking about his age, which simply will not hold. We need to study the judgement more closely but I think the message was very clear – the case must commence immediately.”
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