The Foundation of Human Rights (FHR) joined the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and the family of anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol on Tuesday in commemorating the 55th anniversary of his death on 27 October 1971. The event was held at the Johannesburg Central Police Station, formerly known as John Vorster Square, a site notorious for the torture and abuse of political detainees under apartheid. 

The commemoration brought together former liberation movement activists, civil society representatives and families of victims of apartheid-era abuses at the hands of the state police. Some of those present were witnesses in an inquest reopened in 2017 that sought to uncover the truth about Timol’s death.  

Timol was a 29-year-old teacher and anti-apartheid activist at the time of his arrest in Coronationville, Johannesburg. He died in police custody just days after his arrest. An inquest was held in the year following his death, ruling it as suicide. After increasing pressure from his family over the years, however, the inquest was reopened, finding that Timol had been tortured and subsequently murdered by members of the apartheid security branch.

Tuesday’s event honoured the Timol family’s decades-long pursuit of justice and recognised other families continuing to seek accountability for their loved ones, with support from the FHR. 

Delivering the keynote address under the theme “55 Years On: The Legacy of Ahmed Timol,” human rights lawyer Advocate Howard Varney highlighted ongoing delays in prosecuting apartheid-era crimes and called for the preservation of state archives, support for affected families and accountability wherever possible. 

A representative of the South African Police Service emphasised to attendees the importance of holding the ceremony at the station, saying it was meant to educate current officers about its history and reinforce the responsibility of a democratic police service to protect human rights, uphold the law and serve justice.  

Timol’s legacy remains a reminder that remembrance must go hand in hand with accountability and a commitment to preventing such abuses from ever happening again.