Trial of apartheid cops accused of killing MK operative postponed again

The family of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) operative Nokuthula Simelane, who was allegedly kidnapped and killed by two former apartheid police officers in 1983, has expressed disappointment at the delays in the case.

On Tuesday, the matter against Willem Coetzee and Anton Pretorius in the Pretoria high court, where they were expected to stand trial for Simelane’s death, was again postponed.

This is for another mental assessment as per the state’s request.

On Tuesday, advocate Jaap Cilliers — representing both accused — presented reports on Coetzee's fitness to stand trial, which he said included extensive clinical tests and brain scans.

Cilliers said the first report was from a specialised physician whose opinion was that Coetzee is unable to follow complicated procedures. Another opinion from a neurologist was that he has severe memory problems and early dementia.

The reports also concluded he is not fit to stand trial and this situation is not expected to improve.

“There is no basis on which a trial can continue,” Cilliers said.

However, the state’s advocate, Raymond Mathenjwa, made an application requesting that Coetzee be referred for mental observation.

“The accused himself says he thinks he is fit but the doctors are saying he is not, hence the need for this assessment. The report will then come and an order will be made by this court if he is found not to be fit,” he said.

The family's spokesperson, pastor Themba Xaba, said all they want is closure.

“We need to see this thing over and done so that we can have closure. We cannot even have a proper send-off funeral for her because we still don’t know what happened and what will transpire after this,” he 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 Johannesburg. She was arrested and 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.

The matter has been postponed to December 1 for Coetzee to be assessed at a mental institution.

Coetzee and Pretorius are out on bail.

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