Suspended South African Police Service (SAPS) Organised Crime Unit Sergeant Fannie Nkosi is set to appear at the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday, where a judge will decide whether he will await trial from home or remain behind bars at Kgosi Mampuru Prison.

Nkosi, arrested in April 2026, faces several serious charges after investigators raided his Pretoria North home. The raid uncovered high-calibre firearms, which include an R5 rifle, nearly 500 rounds of ammunition, a commercial stun grenade, six stolen police dockets linked to cash-in-transit robberies and car hijackings, and over R52,000 in unexplained cash hidden beneath a mattress.

The State alleges Nkosi acted as a middleman between senior police officials, including Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, and Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, the suspected leader of the notorious “Big Five” criminal cartel.

Nkosi’s alleged cartel ties, combined with accusations of falsifying his rank to interfere with a police docket in Thohoyandou, appear to have deepened his legal challenges.

The Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court previously denied Nkosi bail, citing the seriousness of Schedule five offenses, strong state evidence, and fears he might tamper with investigations.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has since centralised Nkosi’s cases, merging the Pretoria and Thohoyandou matters into a single trial scheduled to begin on 22 July 2026.

Tuesday’s High Court ruling will determine whether Nkosi prepares for that trial from the confines of Kgosi Mampuru Prison or under house arrest.

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The Information Regulator (IR) is pursuing a legal appeal after the Pretoria High Court dismissed its bid to block the publication of 2025 matric results in newspapers using examination numbers.

Speaking to Inside Education, the Regulator said it has approached the Pretoria High Court for leave to appeal the judgment and is awaiting the court’s acceptance before potentially taking the matter to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).

Read full story on InsideEducation.co.za

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The Pretoria High Court has dismissed the MK Party’s bid to overturn President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decisions to place Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave, appoint Firoz Cachalia as acting police minister, and establish the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

The full bench ruling was delivered on Tuesday.

The court found that suspending Mchunu was a “reasonably necessary” step, given the serious allegations against him, and that the president’s decision to establish the Madlanga Commission was lawful and rational. 

The court held that Ramaphosa acted within his constitutional authority and that firing Mchunu outright on untested allegations could itself be irrational, effectively endorsing the need to protect public confidence while allegations are probed.

Ramaphosa announced the three interrelated steps on 13 July after explosive allegations by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, and said he appointed Cachalia in terms of Section 91(3)(c) of the Constitution.

This is the MK Party’s third loss on the matter after the Constitutional Court refused direct access in July and the High Court struck an earlier attempt for lack of urgency in September.

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The Pretoria High Court has overturned the bail condition that barred South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo and two other senior officers from entering any Crime Intelligence premises while awaiting trial.

The ruling immediately removes a restriction that the court found was unsupported by evidence and imposed without explanation.

Khumalo and senior officers Precious Madondo and Maperemisa Lekalakala, were among seven people charged in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court with corruption and fraud earlier this year.

The charges fall under Schedule 5 of the Criminal Procedure Act, meaning the accused had to show that their release on bail would be in the interests of justice.

Despite this threshold, the State informed the magistrate that it was not opposing bail, stating that all investigations were complete, the accused were not flight risks, and their addresses and employment details had been verified.

However, acting chief magistrate Vusumuzi Mahlangu imposed a sweeping condition prohibiting the accused from entering any Crime Intelligence premises anywhere in the country.

Their legal representatives immediately appealed the decision, arguing that the magistrate had effectively suspended them from their employment without due process and without any basis in the record.

The High Court criticised the magistrate’s failure to provide reasons for imposing the condition.

Because the restriction had not been requested by the State or motivated through evidence, all parties, including the appeal judge, were left guessing as to what concern the magistrate had attempted to address.

The High Court noted that while courts are empowered to impose bail conditions in the interest of justice, they must do so on the basis of information properly placed before them.

Judicial officers are expected to provide reasons for their decisions, especially when imposing conditions that neither party has sought and that carry significant consequences for an accused person’s employment and reputation.

The High Court found that nothing in the bail proceedings suggested that the three officers had threatened the safety of witnesses or the integrity of the investigation.

Although the prosecutor confirmed that many witnesses were SAPS members based in Crime Intelligence, no allegation was made that these witnesses were at risk.

The State told the magistrate that investigations were complete and that it had not sought any special protections or limitations on the officers’ access to their workplace.

Against this backdrop, the magistrate’s sudden introduction of a blanket restriction was deemed unnecessary, disproportionate, and legally unsustainable.

The High Court found that the magistrate’s condition created confusion and uncertainty.

The wording appeared so broad that it could prevent the officers from entering any police station that housed a Crime Intelligence component, yet the magistrate simultaneously instructed them to liaise with the investigating officer to collect their personal items from their offices.

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The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) and the GOOD party have hailed the conviction of two former apartheid police officers for the 1987 murder of student activist Caiphus Nyoka.

The Pretoria High Court, sitting in Johannesburg, on Tuesday found former sergeants Abraham Hercules Engelbrecht and Pieter Stander guilty of the premeditated murder of Nyoka at his family home in Daveyton, east of Johannesburg.

The pair, members of a police reaction unit, will return to court on 11 December for a bail application ahead of sentencing. They were both remanded in custody.

Nyoka, a student activist, was a  member of the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) and active in other youth structures on the East Rand.

He served as an organiser for the Transvaal Students Congress (TRASCO), was involved in the South African Youth Congress (SAYCO) and was president of the student representative council at Mabuya High School.

In the early hours of 24 August 1987, officers stormed his room during a raid and shot him multiple times after removing three other youths who were sleeping there.

A 1988 inquest cleared the police, but the TRC later recognised Nyoka as a victim of gross human rights violations and recommended that the case be investigated for possible prosecution.

The ANCYL said the guilty verdict vindicated what young activists, the democratic movement and Nyoka’s family had long maintained about his killing.

“Caiphus Nyoka was brutally assassinated by the apartheid security machinery for daring to stand on the side of justice, freedom and the liberation of Black children,” the ANCYL said.

“His murder was not an accident of history; it was a cold and calculated act of political repression.”

The league said it stood with the Nyoka family, “who had to endure a long generational pain”, and welcomed the role of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) in finally bringing the case to trial and securing convictions.

“The Youth League remains clear: every individual who participated in, ordered, enabled or covered up apartheid crimes must face full consequences, no matter their age, rank or political protection,” the youth league said.

They called for a swift resolution of all outstanding Truth and Reconciliation Commission matters and said that justice — particularly for families whose loved ones were murdered, disappeared, or tortured by the apartheid regime —  should be resolved.

“We further call on young people to draw strength from the courage of Comrade Caiphus Nyoka and the generations of students who refused to bow to tyranny.”

The league said it would closely monitor sentencing proceedings, to ensure the killers were handed appropriate sentences.

The GOOD party said that Nyoka’s murder was among 300 other serious human rights violations that were recommended for prosecution by the TRC over 30 years ago, but which lay dormant for decades.  

The party said the appointment of a judicial commission of inquiry by President Cyril Ramaphosa followed a High Court application by survivors and families of apartheid-era victims seeking constitutional damages for the alleged political suppression of TRC cases.

The commission, established in May 2025 and chaired by retired Constitutional Court Judge Sisi Khampepe, was mandated to investigate whether successive governments or state institutions interfered with, delayed or blocked the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era crimes identified by the TRC, and to recommend steps to remedy those failures.

“Under extreme pressure from the families, the State has, of late, shown signs of renewed interest in seeing justice done,” GOOD.

“It has reopened the Cradock Four and Chief Albert Luthuli inquests — among others — leading to calls last week from the Pan-Africanist Congress for the re-examination of the death of its former leader, the legendary anti-apartheid activist Robert Sobukwe”.

GOOD called  for justice in all the 300-plus cases.  

“When prosecutors are allowed to act selectively to satisfy their political masters, the integrity of the entire criminal justice system is undermined”. 

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The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial resumed on Monday at the Pretoria High Court, with the defence set to call its first witness, accused number one Muzi Sibiya.

The trial is set to uncover crucial details in the case which has gripped South Africa since the Bafana Bafana captain was fatally shot in 2014 at the Vosloorus home of his then girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo.

The defence team had asked for a postponement three weeks ago, arguing that they were consulting with individuals they planned to call as witnesses.

Lawyers representing the five men currently on trial for the murder have cited logistical challenges in reaching witnesses who are scattered across various provinces.

Some witnesses reportedly required accommodation and transport assistance to attend court proceedings, which further complicates proceedings.

The trial is presided over by Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng and resumes after nearly a three-month-long recess following the state’s conclusion of its case.

Over two years, the prosecution presented a series of witnesses and forensic evidence linking the accused to the crime.

Here are five key facts readers should know about the trial:

• The five men are on trial for the murder of Senzo Meyiwa, who was fatally shot on October 26, 2014.

• Kelly Khumalo was present at the scene and remains a central figure in public speculation, though she has not been charged.

• The defence is calling its first witness today, marking the start of its case after a lengthy delay.

• Witnesses require accommodation and logistical support, which has contributed to previous postponements.

• The trial has faced multiple delays, raising concerns about justice and transparency in high-profile cases.

Kelly Khumalo’s link to the case remains as a point of interest. While she has publicly denied involvement, even challenging authorities to arrest her if they believe she played a role, her presence at the crime scene and public statements have kept her in the spotlight, with critics questioning why she has not been called to testify.

Five men were arrested in connection with the murder of Bafana Bafana’s former number one goalkeeper. The accused are Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi (accused number three), Mthobisi Mncube (accused number four), Mthokoziseni Maphisa, and Fisokuhle Nkani Ntuli (accused number five).

The men were arrested years after Meyiwa’s death, following renewed probes that contradicted earlier claims of a house robbery gone wrong.

The state contends that Meyiwa’s fatal murder was a contract hit.

Timeline of events

• 26 Oct 2014: Meyiwa is shot at Kelly Khumalo’s mother’s home in Vosloorus.

• 2014–2020: Case stagnates amid public outcry and conflicting narratives.

• Oct 2020: Five suspects arrested after a cold-case breakthrough.

• 2022–2023: Trial begins, but faces delays.

• July 2023: Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng takes over after Judge Maumela is suspended for delivering late judgments in numerous cases.

• July 2025: State closes its case after two years of testimony.

• October 2025: Defence begins its case, starting with its first witness.

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