Accused in Caiphus Nyoka murder loses job in Iraq, trial set to start in November
Stander is accused - alongside three of his ex-colleagues of the 1987 murder of anti-apartheid activist Caiphus Nyoka.
Anti-apartheid activist Caiphus Nyoka was murdered in 1987 at his Daveyton home. Picture: Supplied by family
JOHANNESBURG - Murder-accused former apartheid police officer, Pieter Stander, has lost his job as a soldier in Iraq.
Stander is accused, alongside three of his ex-colleagues, of the 1987 murder of anti-apartheid activist Caiphus Nyoka.
READ: Family of Caiphus Nyoka will have to wait 7 months for justice
Last month, the High Court sitting in Benoni, ruled in his favour in an application he had brought for the return of his passport after it was previously seized so that he could travel in and out of the country for work.
The State was set to bring an application for leave to appeal on Thursday but in light of the latest developments, Stander’s now agreed to give his passport back and that application’s been abandoned.
Stander said he has now realised that he would have to spend “a substantial amount of time” preparing for the case and that a return to Iraq in the meantime would hamper this.
He said further that while his employer initially indicated he would be given extended leave to deal with the case, it has since decided instead to terminate his employment.
Against this backdrop, he on Thursday asked the court to effectively restore the previous status quo, which it did.
It also ordered that the R350,000 bail he had to pay before his passport was returned to him, be given back.
The case returns to court in November, for the trial to get underway.