Media Advisory/ 27 November 2025 

MEDIA ADVISORY
For Immediate Release

Upcoming Judgments 

Highgate Inquest 

The inquest into the Highgate Massacre of 1 May 1993, in which five people were killed and seven seriously injured, has now completed its hearings. The matter was heard over four sittings: 27 January–7 February, 24–27 March, 11–15 August, and the final sitting from 1–5 September 2025. Over the course of the inquest, Judge Denzil Potgieter heard testimony from survivors, former police officers, APLA commanders, investigators, and ballistic experts, and conducted an in-loco inspection at the Highgate Hotel site.  

Judgment will be delivered in open court at the Special Tribunal in East London on Monday, 1 December 2025, at 09h30. 

Caiphus Nyoka Murder Trial 

The trial into the murder of student activist Caiphus Nyoka concluded its evidentiary phase earlier this year. Former Benoni Security Branch officers Leon Louis van den Berg and Abraham Hercules Engelbrecht, and former Reaction Unit 6 officer Pieter Egbert Stander, closed their cases without leading evidence in their defence. Closing arguments were heard on 12 November 2025.  

Judge MHE Ismail will deliver judgment in the Johannesburg High Court at 10h00 on Tuesday, 2 December 2025.  

On 12 November 2024, Johan Marais was convicted separately for Nyoka’s murder. The former Reaction Unit 6 officer pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 15 years’ direct imprisonment on 10 July 2025. 

ENDS/