Haron and Wrankmore in Memoriam

IN MEMORIAM: CHIP pays homage to two Cape Town religious leaders whose story captured the imagination of thousands during the dark days of apartheid.

Muslim cleric and Imam Abdullah Haron was a respected clergyman and antiapartheid activist brutally killed in police captivity during his detention without trial in 1969. An inquest into the young man's death found blood clots from trauma, 24 bruises and a broken rib, but explained these away by supporting the police version of events that he'd died by falling down the stairs. Consequently, the attorney-general refused to prosecute anyone.

THE Reverend Bernie Wrankmore was an Anglican priest who campaigned for a commission of enquiry into Haron's death. On the second anniversary of the murder, Wrankmore embarked on a fast in an attempt to force the government's hand. He went to live at the Sayed Hassan Ghaibie Shah kramat on Signal Hill, fasting for 67 days and falling into ill health before eventually giving up the fast. While his efforts mightn't have brought the apartheid government to order, it inspired thousands with its example of cross cultural solidarity and brought international attention to detention without trial.

Wrankmore died aged 86 on June 10, 2011 - forty years after his stand. A memorial service was held at the Signal Hill kramat where he fasted, and the two clerics - who never knew one another in life - were remembered.