The trial of four apartheid-era policemen accused of murdering uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) cadre Nokuthula Simelane 33 years ago has been postponed.Willem Coetzee‚ Anton Pretorius‚ Frederick Mong and Msebenzi Radebe‚ all attached to the Soweto Special Branch during apartheid‚ were scheduled to be in the dock at the High Court in Pretoria on Monday.But their legal representatives and the state prosecutor indicated to the court they had already agreed that the matter should be postponed to September 20.Three of the accused are claiming the South African Police Service (SAPS) is denying them legal assistance. They need to bring an application to compel the SAPS to pay their legal fees.The court postponed the matter as requested. But the trial might not resume on September 20‚ if the SAPS doesn't budge. Instead‚ an application against the police might be heard on that day.Coetzee‚ Pretorius‚ Mong and Radebe are all out on R5000 bail each‚ which was granted to them at the Pretoria Magistrate's Court. The case was transferred from that court to the High Court in March.Coetzee‚ Pretorius and Mong are facing charges of murder‚ while Radebe faces charges of murder and kidnapping. All four deny the charges against them.The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) announced in February this year it would be prosecuting the four‚ as they were allegedly involved in Simelane’s kidnapping‚ torture and murder.Simelane disappeared in 1983. Then based in Swaziland‚ she was in South Africa on an MK mission. Her body has never been found‚ but it was believed she was tortured and killed at the notorious Vlakplaas farm.A statue in her honour now stands in Bethal‚ Mpumalanga‚ her home town.Probably already aware the matter would be postponed‚ Simelane's relatives were not in court on Monday.Simelane's younger sister‚ Thembi Nkadimeng‚ the mayor of Polokwane‚ has tirelessly pursued the matter. She petitioned the NPA for a number of years to prosecute the four. TMG Digital/Sowetan..