Inquest into death of doctor and trade unionist Neil Aggett reopened

The inquest into the death of anti-apartheid doctor and trade union activist Neil Hudson Aggett will be reopened on Monday — almost 38 years after he died.

Judge Motsamai Abraham Makume will preside over the hearing which is expected to run until February 28.

The body of Aggett was found hanging from the bars of his cell in the then John Vorster Square police station in downtown Johannesburg on February 5 1982.

This after he was arrested by security branch members and had spent 70 days in detention.

A ruling in 1982 found that the cause of Aggett’s death had been suicide, despite his family believing that there had been foul play involved.

The Foundation for Human Rights had since assisted the Aggett family with presentations to reopen the inquest.

The foundation said their investigation found that security branch members had lied to protect each other.

Aggett wrote to the magistrate responsible for overseeing detainees, AGJ Wessels, that he was being tortured, but his complaint was only investigated weeks later, the foundation said.

Aggett had been part of a large group of activists detained in 1981.