RE-OPENING OF THE INQUEST INTO THE ALLEGED DEATH OF MR NICHOLAS MAJESTIC BOIKI TLHAPI
13 November 2025
RE-OPENING OF THE INQUEST INTO THE ALLEGED DEATH OF MR NICHOLAS MAJESTIC BOIKI TLHAPI
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirms that the inquest into the alleged death and disappearance of Mr Nicholas Majestic Boiki Tlhapi will be reopened in the High Court of South Africa, North West Division, sitting in Mahikeng. Tlhapi was a 26-year-old community activist and a politically active member of the Ikageng Civic Association in Potchefstroom. On the evening of 20 March 1986, at approximately 20h00, he and eleven other mourners boarded a taxi to attend the funeral of three comrades who had been shot by police. The group was arrested at Jouberton en route to Klerksdorp during the State of Emergency declared by the government at the time.
While all of Tlhapi’s fellow detainees were released after approximately 14 days in custody, Tlhapi never returned home and has not been seen in the last 38 years. An inquest into his disappearance was first held on 5 July 1995 at the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court (Inquest No. 49/94). The court ruled that it could not find beyond a reasonable doubt that Tlhapi was deceased, despite hearing evidence from his father, Mr James Tlhapi, and others.
The matter was later referred to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) as one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) cases. The investigation, guided by the NPA, led to a subsequent application by the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development to reopen the inquest. The Minister then requested the Judge President of the North West Division of the High Court, in terms of Section 17A(1) of the Inquests Act 58 of 1959, to designate a judge to preside over the reopened inquest.
The Judge President has accordingly designated Acting Deputy Judge President A.H. Petersen to preside over the matter. The case will be enrolled at the High Court in Mahikeng on 17 November 2025 for the first appearance of interested parties and persons of interest before the court. Dr Rachel Makhari, the Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, stated: “The NPA stands united in its commitment to ensuring that justice is served and that there is accountability in the disappearance of Mr Tlhapi.”
For media inquiries, please contact:
Sivenathi Gunya
Communications Officer
North West Division
National Prosecuting Authority
078 172 9367