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Naudé concedes Aggett may have been assaulted before he died

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Former security branch police officer, Martin Naudé, has conceded that it’s possible that anti-apartheid activist, Neil Aggett may have been assaulted a month before he died at the then John Vorster Square police station in Johannesburg, in the early 1980s.

Aggett was found hanging in his cell at the station in February 1982.

The apartheid security police claimed he committed suicide, but Aggett’s family believes he was murdered.

Naudé, who interrogated Aggett up until a month before he died, has been testifying at the Aggett Inquest, which is being conducted virtually.

Aggett family lawyer Howard Varney took Naudé to task about his evidence at the first inquest, which cleared the security branch of any wrongdoing.

“I wish to put it to you, Mr Naudé, that the reason you said that it was highly unlikely, was again because of the dynamic that existed within the force at that time, and that you were under some pressure not to cast your colleagues in a negative light. But now with the benefit of hindsight and looking back, would you still have said, that the possibility of that assault on the 4th of January 1982 as being highly unlikely?” asked Varney.

“My answer would be that it’s possible he was assaulted on that day, my Lord,” responded Naudé.

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