[citation needed] Of the 73 known deaths of political activists in police custody in South Africa between 1963 and 1990, eight (11 percent) were at John Vorster Square.

At the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, police officers and activists testified extensively about the use of torture in detention,[6] and three of the inquests into deaths at John Vorster have since been reopened.

"[5] Elmon Malele was arrested on 10 January 1977 and died 10 days later of a brain haemorrhage at a nursing home in Johannesburg where he had been taken after he had allegedly lost his balance after standing for six hours (a standard torture technique) and hit his head on the corner of a table.

The police claimed that he had climbed out of the window onto a ledge in an attempt to escape and had slipped and fallen to his death.

Although a high profile court case showed how Aggett's 80-hour interrogation on the weekend before his death had led to his emotional collapse, the security police were cleared of any wrongdoing.

[5] Ernest Dipale was detained at the same time as Aggett in November 1981 and was released three-and-a half months later.

As late as 1990, government officials claimed to be investigating his whereabouts and said that he had been seen at the scene of a terror attack in April 1989.

[6] At the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, police officers testified that Bopape had died of a heart attack after being subjected to repeated electric shocks during interrogation.

He had been arrested on suspicion of belonging to an African National Congress cell implicated in several murders.

[11] The commission was chaired by Richard Goldstone and confirmed that Sithole had committed suicide, presumably for reasons relating to the confession he had made to police about his involvement in several murders.