BENONI - Apartheid-era police officer Johan Marais has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the 1987 killing of student activist, Caiphus Nyoka.
The sentence was handed down on Thursday before the Pretoria High Court sitting in Benoni.
Marais is one of three men charged in connection with Nyoka’s murder. He has pleaded guilty, while his co-accused, Leon Louis van den Berg, and Abraham Engelbrecht, maintain their innocence.
Nyoka was shot and killed at his home in Daveton by members of a police unit allegedly created to eliminate individuals labelled terrorists by the apartheid regime.
Nyoka was a prominent leader of COSAS in Daveyton and a regional coordinator for Transco East Rand.
While the sentence marks a historic step, the journey is far from over. Three more suspects still stand trial for the same murder.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana welcomed the sentencing, calling it a vital moment.
“We hope that this sentence will set a precedent for all other Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) cases,” she said.