Bail for former apartheid policemen accused of 1983 murder

The prosecution did not oppose bail. When handing down the court’s decision, magistrate Adriaan Bekker said he found no evidence the accused would evade trial or interfere with investigations.

However, he warned the accused not to contact any of the witnesses. The case was postponed to March 29 when the matter will be referred to High Court for trial.

In their affidavits, accused two (Coetzee), three (Pretorius) and four (Mong), represented by Klopper, emphasised they were involved in Simelane’s abduction, but later released her near the Swazi border in Mpumalanga.

However, they said they had no further details of what happened afterwards and amnesty was granted by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the late 1990s.

Coetzee, Pretorius and Mong were charged with murder only as they were granted amnesty for the abduction and kidnapping from the TRC, while Radebe is facing both murder and kidnapping charges.

When Simelane disappeared in 1983 she was 26 years old and a student at the University of Swaziland, a member of Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) and a courier for the one of MK’s units. She was abducted when she went to meet one of her sources in the basement of Carlton Centre in Joburg, which turned out to be a police trap.

Chairman of the uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association, Kebby Maphatsoe, pleaded with the accused to “come out and tell the truth” about what happened with Nokuthula.

”This is the beginning. Be truthful and tell the family where the remains of Nokuthula are. We want former apartheid security forces to confess so that the families can get closure to issues of their missing loved ones.”

Nokuthula’s younger sister, Thembi Nkadimeng, said the family had not found peace even after the TRC hearings as nothing of substance had been disclosed apart from the accused’s claims they had abducted Nokuthula and then released her alive.

“If their (the accused) evidence during the TRC was truthful, we wouldn’t be here today. Even the judges (TRC commissioners) said ‘we don’t find your evidence to be true’,” said Nkadimeng. “To my belief, she (Nokuthula) was beaten beyond recognition. She couldn’t walk. She was handcuffed for a period of over six weeks and put in the car boot. It would have not been possible for her to walk through the border and go back home alone.”

Nkadimeng said all the family wanted was closure and that would come as soon as they were able to find the remains of their sister and lay her to rest.

NPA spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku said the State had a strong case against the accused. – ANA