Commemoration of the murder of Ahmed Timol fifty years ago Held at Johannesburg Police Station, (formerly John Vorster Square)
27 October 2021
I greet Minister Lamola, Premier Makhura, the Timol family and all those present.
Time flies, but memories, especially painful ones, remain embedded in our consciousness. This is evident when we think of the many comrades who were tortured and murdered by the evil apartheid regime. Ahmed Timol is one such comrade. In commemorating the 50th anniversary of his brutal torture and murder at the John Vorster Square Police Station we also remember our other comrades and colleagues who were butchered by those who served a ruthless, tyrannical authority.
Timol, as we called him, was one of my closest friends and comrades. He was a gentle soul, generous and kind, with a lovely smile and a refreshing sense of humour. He was also fearless and deeply committed to the struggle for national liberation, freedom and democracy in our country and continent. Timol was a true internationalist, a firm supporter of the Soviet Union and the other socialist countries, and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and its counterparts in other parts of the world.
He also strongly supported the anti-imperialist, anti-racist movements in Latin America, Europe and North America and the Palestinians in their continuing struggle for national liberation, democracy and freedom in the Israeli occupied territories and the Gaza Strip. As we commemorate his life and note with sadness that his murder is still unpunished, let us honour his memory by intensifying our solidarity and support for our Palestinian sisters and brothers.
After completing his Haj in Mecca, where he met Molvi Cachalia and one of the greatest leaders of our revolutionary alliance, Dr Yusuf Dadoo, he came to London, where he stayed in a flat with myself, my brother Aziz, our niece Yasmin, my future wife Meg and other friends from South Africa, including Ronnie Kaka and Yusuf Saloojee, who are here tonight. He found a teaching job and always sent money to his parents.
His work included teaching English to immigrant children, and he gave extra time to students who needed it. He also spent time with Yasmin and helped her to learn to swim. He did not participate openly in political activity, because, like the other people who shared our flat but were not in exile he was aware that the apartheid secret police would be watching the movements of associates of myself and Aziz.
During his stay in London we had numerous discussions about how to intensify the struggle at home, and on international developments and solidarity. I introduced him to the popular progressive bookshop, Colletts, in Leicester Square. Thereafter almost every Saturday he would go to that shop and buy books and pamphlets covering the history and the revolutionary struggles unfolding in different parts of the world.
Whilst in London he was recruited into the SACP by Yusuf Dadoo. This paved the way for him to attend the Institute of Social Science – the Lenin Party School – together with former President Thabo Mbeki and Anne Nicholson. He thoroughly enjoyed his time in Moscow, deepened his friendship with Mbeki and became well-versed in the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism.
On his return to London he spoke a great deal about his experiences in the Soviet Union as well as at the Party School. When Dadoo suggested that he consider going back to South Africa to help build the underground structures of the SACP as well as those of the ANC he accepted, knowing full well the dangers that he might have to face, including arrest, torture and even death.
Timol had a very serious relationship with Ruth Longoni, who shared his political outlook, introduced him to classical music and was a voracious reader. The courageous decision he made meant that he had to leave Ruth behind and return to South Africa without her. His actions consistently demonstrated his bravery and deep commitment to our struggle. Tragically, Timol, like so many others, paid the supreme price.
After his death, there was a strong reaction from his community in South Africa and about 1 500 mourners accompanied his body to the cemetery in Roodeport, where all the Indian-owned shops closed for the day. Demands for a judicial enquiry were made internationally. We heard that amongst the youngsters who he had taught who had respected and admired him as a teacher, there were a number who reacted to the fact that he was labelled as a communist and a terrorist by the regime by thinking, “Well, if he was a communist, perhaps communists are good people.” The apartheid regime failed to convince the people of our country that their victims were political criminals – the true nature of our heroes and heroines shone through the lies that were told to cover up their persecution and their deaths.
As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of his murder, let us rededicate ourselves to the difficult and complex task of renewing our glorious movement, the African National Congress and strengthening the tripartite alliance with the SACP and COSATU. In that way we can continue our journey to serve the people of our country and the continent to achieve a better life for all.
In 2005 Timol’s nephew Imtiaz Cajee produced a book entitled “Timol: a Quest for Justice”. This opened the way for a long campaign by Imtiaz with the support of Mohammed Timol and others like George Bizos which led to the reopening of the inquest in 2017 into Timol’s death. Judge Mothle overturned the original verdict of suicide and found that Timol had been tortured and that his death had been caused by being pushed or thrown from this building.
Ahmed Timol was awarded the Isitwalandwe Medal in 2019.
Amandla! Long live the memories of our beloved martyrs!
Issued by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, 11 November 2021
