Former Security Branch officer cannot say how Matthews ‘Mojo’ Mabelane died

A former apartheid-era Security Branch officer has distanced herself from a key element of the official account of the death of anti-apartheid activist, Matthews “Mojo” Mabelane.

Leanna Viljoen told the reopened inquest into Mabelane’s death that she could not say whether the 22-year-old jumped, was pushed or was thrown from the 10th floor of John Vorster Square in February 1977.

Viljoen was working in an administrative office on the 10th floor when Mabelane was brought into the room shortly before his fatal fall. She told the Johannesburg High Court on Tuesday that he appeared calm and showed no visible injuries before climbing through a window and moving along the narrow ledge towards another office.

But under cross-examination, Viljoen acknowledged that she did not actually see Mabelane fall and could not account for what happened after he moved out of her sight.

Her evidence has placed renewed focus on the gaps in the original 1977 account, which found that no one was responsible for Mabelane’s death.

Viljoen also challenged expert evidence about the ledge, saying she saw Mabelane turn his back towards the building and shuffle along it towards a neighbouring office. This is despite an expert conclusion that the ledge was too narrow to walk on.

Viljoen further acknowledged the brutality of the Security Branch during apartheid, including its role in the deaths of detainees and the concealment of some of those deaths. However, she maintained that she did not witness anyone assaulting Mabelane.

She also rejected suggestions that she had been instructed what to include in her statement, insisting that the account she gave at the time reflected what she had seen.

The reopened inquest is now in its final hearings and is examining whether Security Branch officers were responsible for Mabelane’s death and whether the original finding that no one was responsible can still stand.

Written by: Lebohang Ndashe