the three ex-police officers tried for a murder during apartheid plead “not guilty”

In South Africa, the trial surrounding the case of Caiphus Nyoka, a 23-year-old anti-apartheid activist shot dead by the police in 1987, began on Tuesday, November 19. Three suspects pleaded “not guilty” before the Benoni court, east of Johannesburg. This trial underlines the desire of the authorities to bring before the courts, after years of deadlock, the suspects who did not obtain amnesty during the time of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

With our correspondent in Johannesburg, Claire Bargelès

Thirty-seven years after the events, Caiphus Nyoka's sister recounts how she discovered her brother's bed soaked in blood. Opposite, three elderly white police officers continue to plead self-defense. This face-to-face meeting is the result of an interminable procedure, according to Jos Venter, lawyer for the Nyoka family: “ This is one of the files that arises from the truth and reconciliation process. There was no amnesty for this case and the democratic authorities were asked to continue the investigation. In 2019, Mr. Johan Marais ended up confessing, to a journalist, that it was a murder.

Reveal the truth

Another trial, that of the murder, in 1982, of three student activists, is also due to open this Wednesday, November 20.

Also readSouth Africa: three former police officers tried for the murder of an anti-apartheid activist

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