An inquest into the death in detention of Thomas NIKANOR opened in the Otjiwarongo Magistrates' Court on 30 September 1985. Nikanor, an employee of Consolidated Diamond Mines at Oranjemund was detained at his home in northern Namibia on 22 January 1985. Some five days later he was found dead in a cell, allegedly having committed suicide.
The inquest, presided over by S van Plesen as magistrate, with Professor Theo Schwar as assessor, came to no conclusion as to how Nikanor died, but provided further information about the circumstances of his detention. Evidence was heard from three forensic scientists and two policemen. Proceedings were then adjourned to 27 January when evidence is expected from more policemen as well as fellow-detainees held with Nikanor.
At first Nikanor was kept at Oshakati. However, during the night of 25 January Warrant Officer Nicolas le Roux, the arresting officer from the Oshakati security branch, took seven detainees, including Nikanor, to the Osire interrogation camp near Otjiwarongo. The existence of a secret detention camp at Osire was revealed in late 1983 in sworn statements submitted by former detainees from the Windhoek Supreme Court. They told of being blindfolded and subjected to severe torture.
Nikanor was interrogated throughout 26 January by Detective Sergeant Abraham Izak Tredoux, also from Oshakati. Lawyers acting for Nikanor's family challenged Tredoux on a number of contradictions in his evidence. At various times he said that it did not take long for Nikanor to give information; that Nikanor admitted having promised SWAPO that he would give help to guerillas; that Nikanor claimed to be a DTA (Democratic Turnhalle Alliance) organiser and NIS (National Intelligence Services) informant, and that Nikanor was evasive and had to be 'prodded'. The day's interrogation reportedly only produced two and a half pages of notes.
Although it had been agreed to adjourn interrogation from Saturday until Monday, Tredoux went with le Roux to collect Nikanor early on Sunday morning. The cell in which he was being kept was described as a cubicle-sized shanty made of corrugated iron. Nikanor was allegedly hanging half-sitting, half-standing from a nail in the wall. Six pairs of nylon socks were knotted round his neck, although some of these were said to have 'disappeared after the body was taken down'. Nikanor's belt and shoes had been removed; in his right hand was a crushed matchbox. Under cross-examination Tredoux admitted having undergone first aid training. However, he made no attempt to take Nikanor's pulse, check that he was dead, revive the detainee or even take down the body. He locked the cell immediately and left. Le Roux, who was called to the cell by Tredoux, said it seemed as if Nikanor had been dead for some time. Chief Inspector Harmse of Otjiwarongo came to the camp later that day to investigate the death. Le Roux made a sworn statement that week but Tredoux's was only made after two months.
A post mortem was carried out five days later by which time the body was badly decomposed, supposedly because of faulty refrigeration at the Otjiwarongo mortuary. In the opinion of one expert the decomposition was such that it was impossible to establish whether death was due to hanging, manual strangulation, a blow on the neck or a heart attack.
The post mortem was performed by a pathologist Leendert van Ieperen in the presence of two doctors representing Nikanor's family, Professor Lionel Smith and Dr Jonathan Gluckman. The three agreed on a number of their findings. However, Gluckman noted 'severe intramuscular haemorrhage on the left side of the neck' which he related 'probably to a degree of violence'. Van Ieperen made no mention of this in his report, ascribing to putrefaction of the body. Professor Smith said that had Nikanor not been found in a hanging position but the body had borne the same marks he would have concluded 'that he died from a blow to the neck'.
Van Ieperen's post mortem finding was that the cause of death was 'not inconsistent with hanging'. Under cross examination he conceded that his findings could be equally consistent with death caused by strangulation or a karate chop. Professor Smith said that the cause of death 'could not be proved from the fact that the deceased was found suspended from the wall'. It was not possible to determine whether the noose of socks had been put around Nikanor's neck while he was still alive.
Nikanor's family — he was married with eight children aged between 15 months and 15 years — have refused to accept that he committed suicide.
