Trial of apartheid cops accused of killing MK’s Simelane postponed for medical report

The case against two former apartheid police officers accused of kidnapping and killing Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) operative Nokuthula Simelane in 1983 has been postponed to allow for a full report on the ability of one of the accused to stand trial.

On Monday Willem Coetzee and Anton Pretorius appeared in the Pretoria high court where they were expected to stand trial for Simelane’s death.

Advocate Jaap Cilliers, for both accused, informed the court Coetzee has been assessed by a doctor who produced a preliminary report on his health which indicated he suffered from dementia.

“According to the preliminary report Mr Coetzee cannot understand and follow criminal proceedings or complex discussions,” Cilliers said.

Coetzee suffered Covid-19 complications last month. His lawyer said the doctor conducting an assessment will complete his work and a final report will be sent to the prosecutors.

Cilliers said it was crucial for the medical assessment to be completed because Coetzee’s current state of health could be temporary.

Judge Mokhine Mosopa warned that delays in the matter could not be tolerated at this stage.

“This matter is very old. The witnesses are very old people and the accused are very old. Further delays will not be in the interest of justice,” Mosopa said.

Simelane disappeared while on an ANC mission to SA from Swaziland in 1983. She was lured to a meeting in the underground parking lot of the Carlton Centre in the Johannesburg inner-city.

There she was arrested and later tortured for days until she died. Since her death, her family has been demanding answers, wanting to know where she was buried.

At the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, five police officers applied for amnesty relating to her abduction, torture and disappearance.

During court proceedings, Simelane’s family sat a few metres from the two men who hold the key to closure about what happened to their loved one.

Simelane’s sister Thembi Nkadimeng tried to speak to the accused outside court but they walked away with their lawyers.

The case was postponed to August 23.

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