Months after the shooting, suspect apprehended in Johannesburg attorney's death.
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A 33-year-old man appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday for allegedly killing insolvency attorney Bouwer van Niekerk at his office in an affluent suburb in Saxonwold.
Van Niekerk was reportedly working on a complex matter involving an alleged Ponzi scheme at the time of his death.
Police spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the suspect was arrested on April 29,2026, following what authorities described as intensive investigations by the Gauteng Provincial Investigating Unit.
The 43-year-old attorney was killed on September 5, 2025. According to Nevhuhulwi, the victim was approached by about four men who arrived at the office in a vehicle under the pretense of being clients with an appointment.
"Only two of the men went inside and while in the boardroom, gunshots were heard. The unknown men fled the scene. The 43-year-old attorney was declared dead on the scene," said Nevhuhulwi.
Nevhuhulwi.said the case was postponed to May 11, 2026, for a formal bail application.
Meanwhile, the suspect remains in custody.
In March, Chinette Gallichan, a 35-year-old lawyer from Krugersdorp, was gunned down outside the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) offices at the corner of Fox and Joubert streets in Johannesburg’s CBD.
According to reports, Gallichan, who was part of Sibanye-Stillwater’s legal team, had arrived for a labour-related matter when the attack occurred at around 9am. Witnesses say she had just stepped out of her vehicle when an assailant approached and opened fire at close range.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has since launched an investigation into the killing. No arrests have been made at this stage.
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