Lamola Orders Aggett & Haffejee Inquests To Be Re-Opened

Riyaz Patel

Justice Minister Ronald Lamola has directed the Judge Presidents of the Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal High Courts to reopen the inquests relating to the deaths of anti-apartheid activists Drs Hoosen Haffejee and Neil Aggett.

“It is of paramount importance to society that justice is not seen as a mythical concept, but it must be seen to be done. Conceivably this principle becomes more pronounced where the families of apartheid era victims are concerned,” Lamola said.

Former justice minister Michael Masutha announced in September 2018 that the inquest into Haffejee’s death would be reopened, but for 10 months – and in spite of numerous appeals by the family – the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) gave no indication of when this might happen.

In the Aggett case, there has similarly