Fannie Nkosi fails to have criminal charges dropped as trial date set for 2027
The case will return in January 2027 for a pre-trial conference.
Former police sergeant Fannie Nkosi faced a setback on Thursday, 5 November 2026, when the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) rejected his petition to have criminal charges against him dropped or reduced. In a hearing at the Pretoria North Regional Court, the outcome of his representations was announced. Nkosi submitted these representations to North Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Sibongile Mzinyathi in September, asking for several charges to be reconsidered, which led to his delayed court appearance on 15 October.
On this day, Nkosi's legal representative, Katlego Maleho, withdrew from the case, and Advocate Hartley Sandy Ngoato replaced him. Ngoato acknowledged that the state had provided the defense with the case dossier but confirmed that Nkosi's representations had been "unsuccessful." The trial is set to begin on 12 April 2027, with a five-day trial period scheduled from 12 to 15 April, followed by an additional four days from 3 to 6 May.
The prosecutor informed the court that the state would call at least 15 witnesses during the proceedings. Nkosi resigned from the South African Police Service (SAPS) last month, while his leave to appeal application was dismissed by the Gauteng High Court on 22 June. His arrest on 2 April 2026 led to the discovery of weapons, cash, and police documents at his residence.
Nkosi is now facing a range of charges, including unlawful possession of explosives, firearms and ammunition mishandling, defeating the administration of justice, theft, and money laundering. Additional allegations of fraud, theft, and evidence tampering stem from a case in Thohoyandou, Limpopo, where Nkosi allegedly fraudulently obtained a police docket and tampered with evidence.
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