Johannes Hendrik Burger was a uniformed police officer in his sixth yr of service when Imam Abdullah Haron was detained at Maitland Police Station in 1969. Haron was held there for 45 days and Burger interacted with him in the final two weeks of his life.
THE LAST LIVING POLICEMAN FROM THE TIME OF DETENTION TAKES THE STAND
Burger, who’s now 78 years outdated, took the stand on behalf of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on the sixth day of the reopened inquest into Imam Haron’s loss of life in detention on Monday, 14 November.
Webber Wentzel’s Advocate Howard Varney, who’s representing the household, informed the court docket Burger had an illustrious profession in the police service. By the time he retired in 1997, he was a Captain and had been bestowed with medals for loyalty and combatting “terrorism.”
At the time of Haron’s detention, Burger was a Constable. He recalled the Imam was listless on the morning of his loss of life, on 27 September 1969, and mentioned he complained of ache in the abdomen. He mentioned he requested the Imam if he want to see a physician and the reply was he simply wished the ache tablets beforehand given to him by policemen at the station.
Later that day, Haron was discovered lifeless in his cell. Burger mentioned he noticed the Imam mendacity on the floor – half stretched out.
Once he was confirmed lifeless, higher-ranking police members together with detectives, the station commander and others rushed to the scene and Burger continued together with his patrol duties.
A couple of days later, Burger was summoned to Caledon Square Police Station the place he gave an announcement about the circumstances surrounding Haron’s loss of life. He mentioned it was the solely time he had been to the Caledon police station, which was the hang-out of the apartheid security branch.
He recalled being proven a diagram of Haron, whereas making the assertion, which confirmed a bruise at the similar place the Imam complained of ache to him earlier than his loss of life. He furthered that he was informed Haron had sustained these accidents in a fall down stairs at Maitland Police Station.
Burger insisted that it couldn’t be true as the stairs at his police station weren’t very excessive.
BURGER NOTICED HARON WAS NOT WELL IN HIS LAST DAYS
Going again in time a bit, Burger mentioned it was clear to him one thing was amiss with Haron in his final days – he famous the detainee had bother strolling and most popular to return to his cell shortly as a substitute of exercising. According to the witness, the pair had often spoken about household issues and rugby earlier than.
He additionally mentioned the solely factor he knew about Haron’s detention was that he was being held for elevating funds for ‘terrorism training.’ Later, the witness would contradict himself and declare he by no means mentioned this.
As beforehand reported, it’s alleged that certainly one of the missions Haron was tasked with by the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) was recruiting younger males to hitch the armed battle towards apartheid.
The males have been meant to bear coaching in guerrilla warfare exterior the nation and Haron was the excellent cowl as the males have been to depart beneath the guise of a haj or training course earlier than returning as per standard.
Advocate Varney prodded, asking the witness whether or not he reported his issues about Haron’s situation. Burger mentioned he wrote it down in his logbook however couldn’t say whether or not his superior officers adopted up on the matter.
Burger painted himself as a loyal soldier (his phrases) who adopted orders to the letter and didn’t rock the boat. Even in his testimony, he wouldn’t entertain questions that required him to cope with hypothetical conditions.
He mentioned the police have been ‘putting out fires’ in every single place at the time of the Imam’s detention and there was nobody he may elevate his issues with as a result of they have been so busy.
Burger mentioned he fought in the border struggle and in addition battled revolutionary forces inside South Africa. He mentioned whereas this was true he was sympathetic to the Imam’s plight or else he wouldn’t have met together with his household in later years.
He teared up when he informed the court docket he is sorry about what occurred to Imam Haron and mentioned he confirmed the Imam’s grandson the place he was locked up in Maitland Station. “I could not tell the young man what happened because everything was kept quiet.”
ADVOCATE CANNOT BELIEVE BURGER DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE SECURITY BRANCH
The proceedings have been marked by Burger’s insistence that he was utterly unaware of the Security Branch’s status, by no means thoughts actions, throughout these years.
The witness mentioned he by no means spoke on to the Security Branch, even when political prisoners like Stephanie Kemp have been held at Maitland Police Station. Every instruction uniformed cops acquired got here from the station commander.
At this level, it appeared that Burger misunderstood the query. Advocate Varney clarified and requested the witness if he was conscious of the security branch’s status for searching down anti-apartheid activists and torturing them. He additionally requested if the witness was conscious of another deaths in detention at the time.
Burger mentioned he was conscious of deaths in detention as a result of he learn newspapers however he couldn’t converse on the security branch’s status as he was at all times informed “you go by what evidence you have.”
When Advocate Varney put it to him that his solutions have been evasive, as the security branch’s status was frequent data, Burger accused the defence of placing phrases in his mouth.
He insisted the first time he grew to become conscious of the security branch’s brutality was in September 2020, when Lieutenant-Colonel Deon Peterson – the investigating officer of the Haron chilly case –confirmed him new illustrations of Imam Haron’s post-mortem that clearly confirmed the 27 bruises and one fractured rib he sustained in detention.
Burger mentioned when he noticed these diagrams, it was clear to him Haron had been brutalised. He referred to Peterson as his “saviour” as a result of earlier than he noticed the drawings he felt he couldn’t expose details about Haron as a result of he had no proof. Burger mentioned the authentic post-mortem drawings he noticed in the previous weren’t as detailed as the ones he noticed in 2020.
An more and more aggravated Advocate Varney mentioned he discovered it very troublesome to imagine that the first time a veteran policeman grew to become conscious of the security branch’s abuse was in 2020.
Varney went additional and mentioned Burger was presenting false proof and informed him that, in contrast to the 1970 inquest, he may very well be discovered responsible of perjury in these proceedings. The witness didn’t take kindly to this reminder and informed Judge Daniel Thulare that it was ‘a blatant threat.’
CONTRADICTION
The household’s authorized representatives additionally tried to get an thought of what Burger considered Haron and his political beliefs.
Although he described himself as a soldier – he mentioned he was a supporter of the police service by way of preventing crime however he didn’t assist the political get together in energy. He alluded to a political get together he did assist however selected to not title it, because it was not related, he mentioned.
Advocate Varney put it to the witness that he considered Imam Haron as a terrorist, a declare he vehemently denied.
“Imam to me was a predikant [pastor in English],’ said Burger and he insisted that it never crossed his mind that Haron was a terrorist. At this point, he contradicted himself and said he “only heard that Haron was held for accumulating money” however he wasn’t positive what for.
Advocate Varney knowledgeable Burger of the contradiction – referred to earlier on this article – and he mentioned he didn’t put it that manner. Judge Thulare knowledgeable Burger that he additionally heard him discuss with terrorism however finally the lawyer moved on to a different line of questioning.
The lawyer additionally requested Burger about the 62 hours Haron spent away from Maitland Police Station between 17 and 19 September.
An knowledgeable witness, Dr Segeran Naidoo, mentioned Haron’s bodily situation worsened significantly after this elimination the place he was interrogated and sure tortured at an unknown location. The security branch claimed Haron fell down stairs at Caledon Police Station on the evening of the 19th, which was blamed for his loss of life at the 1970 inquest.
READ: Imam Haron Inquest: Sustained assault the root reason behind ‘Imam’s demise’ – court docket hears
Non-committal as ever, Burger, mentioned he had no data of Haron’s elimination from the station or his return, nevertheless, he added that if an announcement from the 1970 inquest mentioned it occurred, then it did. Burger mentioned “you never saw the security branch members” and he had no data of the alleged fall at Caledon Square Police Station.
Earlier in his testimony, the retired policeman mentioned when he was on responsibility he saved the key to Imam Haron’s jail cell door. The different key, which unlocked the padlock to the cell gate, was saved in the cost workplace at the police station.
Burger defined that the two-key system was a security precaution for political detainees in order that if there have been an try to interrupt such prisoners out of jail it wouldn’t be straightforward.
However, he mentioned if he was attending to against the law scene and couldn’t return to the station to open the cell – if wanted – one other police officer would drive to his location to gather the key.
Burger mentioned he labored shifts – 6:00-14:00; 14:00-22:00, and so forth. – and by no means noticed Imam Haron being faraway from or introduced again to Maitland Police Station.
Advocate Varney requested for an adjournment at roughly 15:30 on Monday, as he anticipated to spend so much extra time questioning Burger.
The former policeman is anticipated to take the stand once more when the inquest resumes on Tuesday, 15 November.
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