Courts and Trials
Coverage of court proceedings, criminal trials, bail applications, sentencing, judgments and major legal developments across South Africa.
-
Loyiso Nkohla Assassination: Gunman Sentenced to 30 Years as Widow Still Seeks Answers About Who Ordered the Killing
One of the men who admitted taking part in the assassination of former Ses’khona People’s Movement leader and community activist Loyiso Nkohla-Mabandla has been sentenced to an effective 30 years’ imprisonment by the Western Cape High Court. Zukisa Tshabile, 41, was sentenced on 10 November 2026 after entering into a plea and sentencing agreement with…
-
CAIPHUS NYOKA MURDER: FORMER APARTHEID POLICE OFFICERS’ HEALTH BECOMES KEY ISSUE IN SENTENCING
The sentencing proceedings involving two former apartheid-era police officers convicted of murdering student activist Caiphus Nyoka have continued at the Johannesburg High Court, sitting in Benoni. The accused, Abraham Engelbrecht and Pieter Stander, were found guilty of Nyoka’s 1987 murder in December 2025. The case represents an important development in the long-running pursuit of accountability…
-
BROWN MOGOTSI BACK IN COURT: STAGED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT CASE FACES ANOTHER LEGAL TEST
North West businessman and self-described political fixer Brown Mogotsi was expected back in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 13 November 2026, in connection with an alleged staged assassination attempt in Vosloorus on the East Rand. Mogotsi faces charges including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, perjury and defeating the ends of justice. He has…
-
THREE FORMER POLICE OFFICERS SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS EACH AFTER KIDNAPPING AND EXTORTING CONGOLESE MAN
cted of kidnapping and extorting a Congolese national in Upington, Northern Cape. The Upington Regional Court sentenced former constable Thapelo Semamai, 32, and former sergeants Phillip Gaekgwathi, 41, and Martin Bosch, 38. The National Prosecuting Authority said the officers abused their positions to intimidate Ibrahim Hererimana, a Congolese national who was legally residing in South…
-
“STOP TAKING SIDES AND TREAT HIM LIKE A HUMAN BEING” – SHEBESHXT’S GIRLFRIEND BREAKS SILENCE
Kholofelo, the long-time girlfriend of musician Lehlogonolo “Shebeshxt” Chauke and the mother of his child, has broken her silence in her first media interview, speaking publicly about his continued detention after more than a year behind bars. She has appealed to the court to treat him fairly, saying: “Stop taking sides and treat him like…
-
MAPISA-NQAKULA CORRUPTION TRIAL: DEFENCE PREPARES NEW WITNESS AS FORMER SPEAKER FIGHTS R4.5M ALLEGATIONS
Former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s corruption trial continues in the Pretoria High Court, with a new defence witness expected to testify following the conclusion of her own testimony. Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. The State alleges that she solicited R4.5 million in corrupt payments from a defence…
-
BROWN MOGOTSI DISCLOSURE BATTLE: STATE CLAIMS IT HAS COMPLIED AS DEFENCE PUSHES FOR MORE WITNESS INFORMATION
The prosecution says it has fulfilled its disclosure obligations in the criminal case against Oupa “Brown” Mogotsi, but a dispute remains over additional information the defence says is necessary to prepare for trial. CRIME CONNECT | COURT REPORT The criminal case against self-proclaimed political fixer Oupa “Brown” Mogotsi returned to the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court on…