Pretoria: Two former apartheid-era police officers, convicted of the premeditated murder of Congress of South African Students (COSAS) member Caiphus Nyoka, will remain in custody pending a decision on their bail application.

According to South African Government News Agency, former Sergeant Abraham Hercules Engelbrecht and former Sergeant Pieter Stander, both involved in the 1987 murder, were convicted earlier this month. A third accused, Major Leon Louis Van Den Berg, was acquitted. Following their conviction, Engelbrecht and Stander applied for bail pending sentencing, citing health issues and their roles as financial providers for their families.

The state opposed their release, highlighting the severity of their offence and suggesting they pose a flight risk. Stander, in particular, was noted for his international work experience, having worked in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2015, and failing to fully disclose potential assets abroad.

Nyoka, a well-known anti-apartheid activist and student leader, was killed in his family home in 1987. On the night of 23 August 1987, Engelbrecht and Stander, then members of the Reaction Unit within the South African Police, planned the raid on Nyoka’s home. In the early hours of 24 August 1987, they, along with other Reaction Unit members, stormed his room, identified Nyoka, and shot him nine times, resulting in his death on the scene.

Judgment on the bail matter has been reserved, with sentencing proceedings scheduled for July 2026.