The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) welcomes the judgment handed down today in the Gauteng High Court, finding two former apartheid police officers guilty of the 1987 murder of student activist Caiphus Nyoka. This long-awaited conviction is an important affirmation that gross human-rights violations committed during apartheid cannot remain beyond the reach of justice.

For nearly four decades, the Nyoka family has carried the pain of losing a son and brother to state-sanctioned violence. Today’s ruling represents a measure of accountability that was promised — but often denied — to families whose cases were never fully addressed during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process. The verdict underscores that truth alone is insufficient without consequences for those who committed abuses.

This moment matters not only for the Nyoka family, but for South Africa’s broader project of nation-building. When the state takes seriously its responsibility to pursue delayed or unfinished TRC cases, it strengthens public trust in democratic institutions and signals that no person is above the law. Accountability for past atrocities contributes to healing in the present and lays a firmer foundation for a society built on human dignity, justice, and equality.

IJR calls on the National Prosecuting Authority to continue prioritising all outstanding apartheid-era cases, particularly those involving political killings and gross violations of human rights. True reconciliation requires confronting our history honestly, addressing its unfinished business, and ensuring that victims and their families are not forgotten.

We recognise the tireless efforts of the Nyoka family, the FHR and their legal team to seek justice; and stand in solidarity with all families still waiting for justice. Today’s judgment is a reminder that accountability, however delayed, remains essential to building a South Africa in which the rule of law, truth, and human rights are fully realised.

Issued in Cape Town, South Africa, by The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR)

3 December 2025