{
  "id": 564611,
  "title": "Police torture case postponed after no-show by cop’s lawyer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/police-torture-case-postponed-after-no-show-by-cops-lawyer",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-11T12:19:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "GroundUp",
    "slug": "groundup",
    "url": "https://groundup.org.za/article/police-torture-case-postponed-after-lawyer-no-show/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A police torture trial faced an unexpected setback on Tuesday when the lawyer for one of the accused officers failed to show up at Wynberg Regional Court. Lieutenant-colonel Delmore Manuel, constables Jermaine Conradie and Leigh-Ann Maroon, accused of torturing Juma Igiraneza during a raid in Mowbray on November 7, 2023, were the focus of the hearing. CCTV footage revealed the police assaulting Igiraneza, allegedly to acquire information about his boss's whereabouts. The case, which has been postponed multiple times since the initial court appearance in 2024, saw Igiraneza travel from the Eastern Cape to attend and an interpreter knowledgeable in Kirundi language being present. However, the trial could not proceed as Conradie's lawyer did not appear in court. Magistrate Karel Meyer questioned why his lawyer was absent, to which Conradie responded that his attorney claimed he couldn't attend but was open to rescheduling. Meyer, though, stated that the absence of Conradie's attorney made it clear that \"any date was not suitable\". Meyer further explained that the absence affected the other accused and their respective lawyers, stating, \"If one lawyer is not here, it has an effect on the other accused with things like fees for their attorneys and appearances.\" This isn't the first instance of Conradie's lawyer failing to make it to court. Meyer suggested that if the lawyer had been present, they would have arranged a trial date for all parties involved.",
  "summary": "The case of three police officers torturing Juma Igiraneza was again postponed, this time until 21 September for a trial date to be set",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}