Apartheid Police Officers Convicted After 38 Years
In a recent ruling, two former apartheid-era police officers in South Africa were found guilty of murder in the 1987 killing of activist Caiphus Nyoka. The conviction, handed down by the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, comes decades after the incident, highlighting the impunity that once shielded perpetrators of apartheid-era abuses. This trial was sparked after a former police officer confessed to Nyoka’s murder in 2019, leading to a reexamination of the case and the subsequent trial of several other officers. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission had previously investigated such cases, but few were prosecuted, leading to continued pressure for accountability and renewed investigations into other apartheid-era deaths.
John Q. Hosedrinker