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The Citizen
23-05-2025
- The Citizen
Court dismisses bid to drop charges in 1987 student activist Nyoka's murder case
The court rejected claims of no evidence in the case of apartheid-era officers accused of murdering Caiphus Nyoka in 1987. The Pretoria High Court sitting in Benoni has rejected claims of no evidence in the case of two former apartheid-era officers accused of murdering student activist Caiphus Nyoka in 1987. The court ruled that there is enough evidence to proceed with the trial of two ex-officers accused of killing the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) member and student activist. This follows a Section 174 application brought under the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 by former commanding officer Major Leon Louis Van Den Berg (75) and former Sergeant Abraham Hercules Engelbrecht (61). The two, along with former Sergeant Pieter Stander, 60, are facing a murder charge in connection with Nyoka's death. Nyoka gunned down According to the allegations, the three members of the South African Police Service's Reaction Unit got together on the evening of 23 August, 1987 to plot Nyoka's murder. Van Den Berg allegedly led the planning of a raid on his residence. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said at around 2am on 24 August, 1987, Stander, Engelbrecht, and other Reaction Unit members – who are also charged separately – arrived at Nyoka's home and broke into his room. ALSO READ: NPA reopens inquests into Chief Albert Luthuli and Griffiths Mxenge's deaths 'They found him sleeping with three of his friends. After identifying him, they removed the friends from the room and thereafter proceeded to shoot him nine times,' Mahanjana said. Nyoka died on the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. Trial proceedings During the trial, the state called five witnesses, including Nyoka's sisters Alegria and Mothasi Nyoka and one of his three friends who were present on the night of the incident, Gugulakhe Exodus Nyokane. The court also heard testimony from expert witness Dr Nicky Rousseau, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) researcher, and the investigating officer, Lieutenant Petrus Colonel Beukman. After five witnesses testified, the state closed its case. Accused application dismissed 'Thereafter accused number one (Van Den Berg) and two (Engelbrecht) brought a section 174 application claiming that the state had no case,' Mahanjana said. ALSO READ: Ramaphosa launches commission of inquiry into apartheid-era justice delays 'After the court dismissed their application, accused number three (Stander) opted to remain silent and closed his case.' The court has postponed the matter to 8 to19 September for the defence cases of Engelbrecht and Stander. Sentencing The sentencing proceedings for Johan Marais, 65, a former member of the Reaction Unit 6 in Dunnottar who was prosecuted and found guilty of the same offences, have been rescheduled for 5 to 6 June. 'This court outcome is encouraging as the state overcomes the first hurdle that was presented by the defence in order to prevent the trial from proceeding,' Mahanjana concluded. 'The state will continue to put forward a formidable case to ensure that justice is served against such atrocities of the apartheid era.'
IOL News
23-05-2025
- IOL News
Court rejects discharge application from apartheid-era cops in Caiphus Nyoka murder case
Student activist Caiphus Nyoka in 1987. Image: Facebook/Ahmed Timol The High Court in Pretoria, sitting in Benoni, has dismissed an application brought by the accused, two former apartheid-era police officers, who were seeking discharge in the murder case of student activist Caiphus Nyoka. In the application, accused number one, a former commanding officer, Major Leon Louis Van Den Berg, 75, and accused number two, a former Sergeant Abraham Hercules Engelbrecht, 61, sought discharge, insisting that the state has no case against them. 'The two, together with their co-accused, former Sergeant Pieter Stander, 60, are facing a charge of murder for allegedly killing a student activist and a member of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) Caiphus Nyoka,' said Lumka Mahanjana, Gauteng regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). It is alleged that in the evening of 23 August 1987, the three, who were members of the Reaction Unit within the South African Police Service, met to discuss a plan to kill Nyoka. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. 'A plan to raid his home was devised, under the commanding officer Major Van den Berg. In the early hours of 24 August 1987 at about 02h30, Stander and Engelbrecht and other members of the Reaction Unit who are also charged separately, arrived at Nyoka's homestead and stormed Nyoka's room,' said Mahanjana. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'They found him sleeping with three of his friends. After identifying him, they removed the friends from the room and thereafter proceeded to shoot him nine times.' The young activist died on the scene as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. 'During the trial, the state called five witnesses, two Caiphus Nyokas sisters, Alegria and Mothasi Nyoka, Gugulakhe Exodus Nyokane one of the three friends Nyoka was with on the night of the incident, an expert witness who was the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) researcher DR Rousseau and the investigating officer of the case Lieutenant Colonel Beukman,' said Mahanjana. After the five witnesses testified, the state closed its case. Thereafter, Engelbrecht brought a section 174 application, claiming that the state had no case. After the court dismissed the application, Van Den Berg opted to remain silent and closed his case. The matter was postponed to 8-19 September 2025 for the defence case of Engelbrecht and Stander. The case against the former section member of the Reaction Unit 6 in Dunnottar (Springs), Johan Marais, 65, who was charged and convicted for the same offence was postponed to 5 and 6 June 2025 for sentencing proceedings. 'This court outcome is encouraging as the state overcomes the first hurdle that was presented by the defense in order to prevent the trial from proceeding. The State will continue to put forward a formidable case to ensure that justice is served against such atrocities of the apartheid era. Last year, IOL reported that Marais, was found guilty of killing student activist Caiphus Nyoka in 1987. This comes after the 65-year-old pleaded guilty to the murder in the High Court in Pretoria. When he was killed, Nyoka was part of several organisations which used to publicly challenge apartheid policies. IOL News
The South African
03-05-2025
- The South African
Dead body found on side of the road in Ndwedwe, KZN
A dead body of a 22-year-old male was discovered on the side of the road during a search in Ndwedwe, KZN, on Friday, 2 May 2025. The 42-year-old mother of the deceased discovered the lifeless body of her son and immediately contacted Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA). 'On arrival, the body of a 22-year-old male was discovered on the side of the road. He sustained stab wounds to his head and face. A pocketknife was located next to his body,' the private security company stated. The deceased's mother mentioned that her son was known to carry an Okapi knife. She said she began searching for him after seeing that he had not returned from the tavern the day before. It is alleged that the deceased was involved in an altercation and repeatedly was stabbed with the jagged edge of a beer bottle. No arrests have been made so far. A 26-year-old man sustained injuries after members of the public badly beat him after trying to break into a home in Parkgate, KZN. Reaction Unit South Africa confirmed that the man confessed to breaking into a home in the area with a friend. 'His friend fled when they were confronted by a group of individuals. They began assaulting him, but he managed to break free and fled to Redcliffe, KZN, where he collapsed on the side of the road,' said Reaction Unit. The man was handed over to Verulam SAPS for further investigation. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
