Apartheid-era cop murder case of Caiphus Nyoka postponed

The case against former apartheid police officer John Marais, who was found guilty of the 1987 murder of anti-apartheid activist Caiphus Nyoka, has been delayed yet again for a psychological report for sentencing purposes.

The Pretoria High Court in November last year found 65-year-old Marais, a former Section Leader of the Reaction Unit 6 in Dunnottar, guilty of murder.

This is after Marais pleaded guilty to the killing of Nyoka.

Psychological report

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the case has been postponed to 25 March 2025 for a provisional date.

“The psychological report is not ready.”

At the time of his death, Nyoka was a student activist and a member of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas).

ALSO READ: Apartheid-era cops plead not guilty to 1987 murder of Caiphus Nyoka

Murder plan

On the evening of 23 August 1987, Marais and some of the members of the security branch and other units within the South African police met to discuss a plan to kill Nyoka. A plan to raid his home was devised under the then-commanding officer, Major Leon Louis van den Berg, who is also charged separately.

In the early hours of 24 August 1987 at about 2.30am, Marais, together with Sergeant Pieter Stander, Sergeant Abram Hercules Engelbrecht and other members of the Reaction Unit who are also charged separately, arrived at Nyoka’s homestead and stormed Nyoka’s room.

They found him with three of his friends. They were all sleeping. After identifying him, they removed the friends from the room and thereafter proceeded to shoot him nine times.  He died on the scene as a result of multiple gunshot wounds.

Guilty plea

After the guilty plea was read into the record, Marais was released on R5 000 bail, with conditions that he should not interfere with state witnesses and that he should not communicate with the other three co-accused.

He was also ordered not to leave the jurisdiction of Springs without informing the investigating officer, and he should hand in his passport to the investigating officer and not apply for a new one. 

ALSO READ: Conviction of apartheid cop John Marais for killing of Caiphus Nyoka lauded

Three others  

The trial against the three other accused in the matter — former riot cop Pieter Stander, Leon van den Berg, and Abram Engelbrecht — both former members of the Benoni Security Branch—started at the Pretoria High Court sitting in Benoni on 18 November last year.

The trio have pleaded not guilty to the 1987 murder of Nyoka.

Nyoka’s sister, whom the court said should not be named, described him as “an altruistic person” who would share his last morsel with others.

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