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LitNet Akademies Jaargang 9(3), Desember 2012 Presies ’n jaar nadat hy in die Oranje Hospitaal opgeneem is, het hy op sy 52ste verjaardag selfmoord gepleeg deur homself in ’n toilet op te hang. Die oorsaak van dood word aangegee as “verwurging met drukking op die sinus corotical, obstruksie van die lugweë” en sy psigiese toestand as “epileptiese psigose”. 157 5. Allan Bird se agterdog oor ’n sameswering tussen Pratt en Jacobson Solly Jacobson se vennoot, prof. Allan Bird, beweer dat Jacobson vir Pratt én Tsafendas behandel het en hulle kon gemanipuleer het om die Eerste Minister uit die weg te ruim. In die geval van die Pratt-aanslag vermoed hy selfs dat daar ’n sameswering tussen hulle kon gewees het. Bird het geen direkte bewyse vir sy vermoede nie en het sy agterdog hoofsaaklik op drie insidente gegrond. In sy memoires vertel Bird dat Jacobson in 1953 as derde vennoot in die neurologiese praktyk van hom en Andrew Watt opgeneem is. Bird was ook professor aan die mediese skool van die Universiteit van die Witwatersrand. Jacobson het in Engeland gespesialiseer. Hy het geen doekies omgedraai daaroor dat hy ’n toegewyde lid van die Kommunistiese Party was nie. Hy was heg bevriend met Joe Slovo en het selfs vir Bird as ’n lid van die party probeer werf (Bird 1992:203, 218). Nadat hulle derde kollega, Andrew Watt, in ’n ongeluk dood is, het Bird en Jacobson uitmekaar gedryf – deels omdat hulle werklas toegeneem het en deels omdat Jacobson die bietjie tyd wat hulle sosiaal kon verkeer, eerder vir sy politieke aktiwiteite opsy gesit het. Jacobson was ’n vurige teenstander van Verwoerd se “granietapartheidbeleid”. Die eerste insident wat Bird (1992:204–5) geskok het en wat in sy geheue bly vassteek het, beskryf hy só: On one fateful occasion, together for some social event such as a birthday and chatting about the ugly turn the country’s politics were taking, Solly, obviously under great tension blurted out: “If Verwoerd goes on like this, HE IS GOING TO GET A BULLET.” These were the actual words he used, and because of their gravity, fixed themselves in my memory. I asked him to explain and he came out with a comment like: “Verwoerd is a mad man and is dragging the country to ruin.” Die tweede insident wat Bird se agterdog gewek het, was die paniekerige optrede van Jacobson en Issie Maisels die aand na Pratt se aanslag op Verwoerd. Bird was toevallig in die Johannesburg Hospitaal om ’n noodgeval te behandel toe Verwoerd ingebring is en het eerstehandse inligting oor die skietwonde van sy kollega Teddy Kerr gekry. Bird (1992:207– 8) het reeds geslaap toe die telefoon langs sy bed gelui het. It was Solly Jacobson. He was calling me to tell me that one of his patients, David Pratt, had shot the Prime Minister while he was opening the Rand Easter Agricultural Show at Milner Park that afternoon. The reason he was calling was because he feared 776
LitNet Akademies Jaargang 9(3), Desember 2012 that the assailant, who had been taken to the Police Forensic Laboratory for examination, might be undergoing physical torture to extract from him why he had carried out the deed. Solly wanted me to go to the lab to establish what was happening to Pratt. “Why should I have to go to the lab? He is not my patient, and I have never even set my eyes on him. If you consider it so important that someone should go and see what is going on, why don’t you go yourself? After all, you know him and he is your patient.” This futile discussion seemed to go on for several minutes and then Solly brought up a new point. “Issie Maisels is with me and he thinks it would be better that you should go.” Maisels was a leading advocate and had been an acting judge. He was a close associate of Jacobson. When he heard that I was demurring, he came on the line himself and asked me to go to the lab, saying it would be better for all concerned – but I would not budge. Finally we said good night, but there was not much sleep for me that night … The next morning, Sunday, found Jacobson and myself back to routine and seeing our hospital patients. Jacobson looked washed out and weary and gave me a wan smile. “What the hell was going on last night?” I half-jokingly asked him. “In the end Issie and I went down to the laboratory.” “And?” “There was nothing wrong going on. In fact they were treating Pratt very kindly.” Die derde insident waarop Bird (1992:204-5) sy agterdog baseer, het na Pratt se selfmoord plaasgevind: [...] Jacobson came to see me at home. He was distraught. Between sobs he told me that Pratt had hanged himself in a toilet at the hospital and he blamed himself for what had happened. As I was trying to console Solly, he told me that Pratt’s original suicide attempt was brought about by Verwoerd’s plans to introduce laws to impose apartheid through Parliament. But after treatment with psychotherapy and anti-depressant drugs, Pratt began to think more logically. Jacobson pointed out to him that, if he had died from the overdose, he would have achieved nothing towards curtailing apartheid. I gathered that between them they worked out a plan for Pratt to shoot Verwoerd. As he suffered from epilepsy, according to the Mental Disorders Act of 1916, he was insane and would not have to stand trial. Bird (1992:214-5) het vir brigadier Johan Coetzee van die Veiligheidspolisie probeer oorreed om Solly Jacobson te laat uitlewer om aangekla te word vir medepligtigheid aan die twee aanslae op Verwoerd. As mens na die meriete van die drie gronde van agterdog kyk, is daar nie enige kousale verband wat werklik die vermoede bevestig dat Jacobson vir Pratt opgestook het om Verwoerd te vermoor nie. 777
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Page 7 and 8: 2.2 Pratt, die sakeman en boer LitN
Page 23 and 24: 3.3 Reaksie op die sluipmoordpoging
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Page 59 and 60: 138 Verslag van prof. Hurst (vn. 10
Page 61 and 62: 168 Anon. 1960. Kort beriggies. Der

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