These are some of the big court cases to watch out for in 2025

With 2024 drawing to a close, the new year is expected to be another legally intensive and heavy year for the country’s courts, with a burgeoning roll and several cases being heard.

Judges and magistrates have absorbed the explosion of litigation over the last several years without a commensurate increase in their numbers.

According to judiciary watchdog Judges Matter, the answer to this is increasing the number of judges and magistrates. This is as court cases pile up for 2025.

Jacob Zuma trial

One of the biggest court cases for 2025 is former President and uMkhonto weSizwe party (MK) leader Jacob Zuma’s arms deal corruption trial set for 14 April to 20 June 2025.

Zuma’s lawyer advocate Nqaba Buthelezi unsuccessfully protested over his arms deal corruption trial date remaining set for April 2025, as state prosecutor Billy Downer said they would fight for Zuma to finally go on trial.

This is due to Zuma seeking leave to appeal Judge Nkosinathi Chili’s decision that it was not in the interests of justice for Downer to be forced to step down.

Zuma’s advocate argued that the trial itself should be postponed indefinitely. However, Chili was having none of it and scheduled Zuma’s appeal hearing for 6 February.

ALSO READ: Zuma unsuccessful in bid to change April 2025 arms deal trial date [VIDEO]

Zuma vs Ramaphosa

Zuma’s battle against his processor President Cyril Ramaphosa is also expected to resume in 2025.

The South African High Court in Johannesburg In August postponed Zuma’s private prosecution case against Ramaphosa to February 6, 2025.

This was to allow the appeal processes before the Constitutional Court to be concluded.

The former president initiated private prosecution against Ramaphosa on the eve of the African National Congress (ANC) national elective conference on 15 December 2022.

In July last year, a full bench of the Gauteng High Court set aside Zuma’s private prosecution of Ramaphosa, saying it was unlawful and unconstitutional. The court refused him leave to appeal in September, saying an appeal had no prospects of success.

Zuma then approached the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), but this was rejected in February with the court saying in a single line that “the requirements for special leave are not satisfied”.

Not satisfied, Zuma applied for a “reconsideration” by the SCA in May, but its president Mahube Molemela refused to entertain his appeal in his failed bid to privately prosecute Ramaphosa.

However, the former president is now trying to appeal that decision.

He accused Ramaphosa of being an “accessory after the fact” to another private prosecution he was pursuing against prosecutor Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan for an alleged breach of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Act.

Thabo Bester trial

The trial of convicted killer and rapist Thabo Bester and his eight co-accused is scheduled to begin in 2025 at the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein.

Thabo Bester alongside his ex-partner, Nandipha Magudumana; her father, Zolile Sekeleni; their gardener, Zanda Moyo; and former G4S prison staff members Frans Makhotsa, Senohe Matsoara, Buti Masukela, Teboho Lipholo, and Joel Maketha will all be in the dock when the much anticipated trial goes ahead.

The suspects face multiple charges, including fraud, corruption, violation of a corpse, defeating the ends of justice, arson, and assisting a prisoner to escape.

These charges relate to Bester’s escape from prison in 2022. Bester, Magudumana, and Moyo remain in prison, while the others are out on bail.

State prosecutor, Advocate Amanda Bester informed Judge Cagney Musi that an agreement had been reached with the defence regarding the trial date.

The proposed trial is scheduled to begin in February 2025 and continue until the end of the judiciary’s term.

Sekhukhune United’s Shaune Mogaila

Another much-anticipated case is that of Sekhukhune United player Shaune Mogaila.

Mogaila was granted bail of R20 000 in November and was released from custody.

The 29-year-old appeared in the Tembisa Magistrate’s Court in Ekurhuleni charged  with culpable homicide, reckless and negligent driving, and fleeing the scene of an accident that resulted in the death of a nine-year-old girl.

The case has been postponed to 4 February 2025 to allow for further investigation.

Authorities are awaiting postmortem results and an analysis of video footage related to the incident.

Cradock Four inquest

The highly anticipated re-opening of the inquest into the killing of the Cradock Four hit a snag in the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha in 2024 over delays in legal funding for former police and defence force members, and a family member of one of the four.

Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlauli and Sparrow Mkhonto were abducted by the apartheid police security branch at a roadblock on 27 June 1985 on their way from Port Elizabeth to Cradock. They were assaulted and murdered in police custody.

The inquest which was set to start in September was postponed due to the two applications filed by the State Attorney and Mbulelo Goniwe – the nephew of Goniwe.

The postponement was necessitated because funding could not be secured for counsel for one of the family members, Mbulelo Goniwe, the Cradock community, and certain persons of interest in the case.

Consequently, the inquest was postponed to 2 June 2025, which was the first available date for all counsel.”

Steinhoff’s former treasury boss

The case against Steinhoff’s former head of treasury Stéhan Grobler was postponed until February 14 as local authorities grapple with the fallout of an accounting scandal that led to the near-collapse of the global retailer seven years ago.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation secured arrest warrants for Stehan Grobler and his ex-boss Markus Jooste in March, with the two men named as the lead suspects in the demise of Steiehoff.

Jooste took his own life on March 21, after being notified about his imminent arrest.

NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the delay in Grobler’s case was  to allow for further investigation.

The 64-year-old Grobler is out on R150 000 bail after he appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in March on charges of racketeering, three counts of fraud worth R21 billion, manipulation of financial statements and failure to report fraudulent activities.

Grobler was one of eight implicated people mentioned in a PwC report on the collapse of Steinhoff. Their names were made public when the chairperson of the finance committee, Yunus Carrim, insisted in a meeting of the parliamentary standing committees on finance and public accounts together with the portfolio committees on trade and industry and public service and administration that their names be released.

Paul Mashatile VIP protectors

The case involving eight former members of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s VIP presidential protection unit will also be heard on 3 February.

This was due to the schedules of the presiding magistrate, Abdul Khan, and state prosecutor, Elizabeth le Roux being fully booked for the next few months when the matter resumed in August.

Following a protracted five-month delay that began in 2023, the case was reopened in May.

The suspended VIP Protection members are all currently out on R10 000 bail each.

Shadrack Molekatlane Kojana, Johannes Matome Mampuru, Pomso Joseph Mofokeng, Harmans Madumetja Ramokhonami, Phineas Molefo Boshielo, Churchill Mpakameseni Mkhize, Lesibana Aggrie Rambau, and Moses Fhatuwani Tshidada are facing several charges.

These include traffic infringement, several charges of assault, malicious damage to property and the pointing of a firearm.

The officers were arrested for being caught on video beating civilians on the side of the N1 highway last month.

The widely circulated video on social media showed the VIP police officers – brandishing rifles and pistols – jumping out of a BMW X5 and attacking the occupants of a VW Polo.

Transnet fraud case

The case against former Transnet executives, among them, Brian Molefe, Anoj Singh and Siyabonga Gama will resume in January 2025.

Their charges, which include fraud, corruption, and money laundering, stem from the locomotives transaction advisory tender awarded to the McKinsey-led consortium in 2012, resulting in the procurement of 1 064 locomotives valued at more than R54 billion.

Their services included sourcing loans from the China Development Bank and the Club loan amounting to 2.5 billion dollars, equivalent to R30 billion at the time, on behalf of Transnet.

Additionally, the accused also face charges related to the R93.4 million payment to Trillion Asset Management in 2015.

The co-accused of the parastatal’s ex-boss include former Transnet group CFO Anoj Singh; former acting CFO Garry Pita; former treasurer Phetolo Ramosebudi; former Transnet CEO Siyabonga Gama; the CEO of the defunct Trillian Capital Partners and Regiments Capital shareholder Eric Wood; alleged “Gupta fixer” and sole director of Albatime, Kuben Moodley; as well as former Regiments Capital director Nevin Pillay and former Regiments Capital CEO Litha Nyhonyha.

Edwin Sodi

The fraud case against controversial businessman Edwin Sodi’s is also expected to resume in 2025.

The R255-million asbestos contract fraud and corruption trial was postponed to April 15 to June 23 2025.

Sodi and his co-accused Ace Magashule, Nthimotse Mokhesi, Mahlomola Matlakala, Sello Radebe, Kgotso Manyeki, Sarah Mlamleli, Nozipho Molikoe, Albertus Venter, Moroadi Cholota and Margaret-Ann Deidericks have all been charged in the matter.

The Free State asbestos case is in connection to a R255 million contract awarded in 2014 to the Diamond Hill Trading and Blackhead Consulting joint venture by the Free State Department of Human Settlements.

Blackhead Consulting is owned by controversial tenderpreneur Edwin Sodi. The contract was to remove harmful asbestos from homes in the province.

It is alleged that government officials in the Free State received R27 million in bribes related to this tender.

The group is charged with fraud relating to the botched tender.

Pule Mabe

The case against Former African National Congress (ANC) spokesperson Pule Mabe will also resume in 2025.

Mabe, his wife, and business associate Tinyiko Mahuntsi are facing charges of corruption, fraud, and theft in connection with a R27 million tender awarded to Mabe’s company, Enviro-Mobi, by the Gauteng Agriculture and Rural Development Department in 2017.

The tender was aimed at supplying 200 three-wheeler vehicles intended for use by waste pickers employed by the Ekurhuleni Municipality.

According to the state, Enviro-Mobi lacked the necessary expertise when it was awarded the tender.

It is alleged that Mkwana and Ismail allegedly recommended a payment of more than R16 million, despite no services being rendered by Mabe’s company.

The state revealed that although Mabe resigned as the director of Enviro-Mobi, he still controlled the company’s bank account.

Mabe allegedly authorised the payments made by his company between 2017 and 2020.

Their case was postponed to 25 March 2025.

SA ICJ case

Perhaps the biggest court case in 2025 is South Africa’s case against Israel and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

South Africa’s legal team filed hundreds of pages in its memorial to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), saying that it has presented a clear case to the United Nations’ top court in The Hague that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

South Africa filed its memorial to the ICJ on Monday, as Israel’s parliament approved a bill banning the main UN aid agency for the war-devastated Gaza Strip, sparking international outcry.

In accordance with ICJ rules, the filing remains confidential until it is published by the court.

The filing “contains evidence which shows how the government of Israel has violated the genocide convention by promoting the destruction of Palestinians living in Gaza, physically killing them with an assortment of destructive weapons, depriving them access to humanitarian assistance, causing conditions of life which are aimed at their physical destruction and ignoring and defying several provisional measures of the International Court of Justice, and using starvation as a weapon of war and to further Israel’s aims to depopulate Gaza through mass death and forced displacement of Palestinians.”

Israel has until July 2025 to file its counter-memorial.

Other court cases

There are several other court cases that will also be on the court roll for 2025. With some cases including crime, corruption and kidnapping matters still before the court in 2024, it is likely they will postponed to next year.

The Citizen will make every effort to bring you all the details of the latest court cases for 2025.

ALSO READ: ‘Intent is clear’ in Israel’s Gaza genocide, says SA as it files ICJ case