Action Society urges the Khayelitsha Regional Court to bring an end to the repeated postponements in the case of Sivuyile Tshabile, convicted of the brutal murder of Nosiphiwo James. Members of the media are invited to attend the proceedings on Wednesday, 3 December 2025, when sentencing is again expected to go ahead. This follows after yet another postponement in November.
Date: Wednesday, 3 December 2025
Time: Journalists to arrive between 08:30 and 09:00
Venue: Khayelitsha Regional Court
Case Background:
In May 2022, Nosiphiwo was murdered with a screwdriver by her then-partner, Tshabile. After the killing, he fled to the Eastern Cape and evaded arrest until Action Society assisted SAPS in locating him.
Nosiphiwo’s family has now faced nearly three and a half years of heartbreak and uncertainty, made worse by a justice process marked by repeated delays, missing documents, and administrative failures. Even after Tshabile was found guilty in May 2025, sentencing could not proceed in September because the accused refused to co-operate with the probation officer. The court warned him on that date that it was his final opportunity to comply and that sentencing would proceed at the next appearance, regardless of his cooperation.
“Nosiphiwo’s loved ones have relived their trauma with every postponement,” said Kaylynn Palm, head of Action Society’s Action Centre in the Western Cape. “For nearly three and a half years, they have shown remarkable strength and patience while the system has failed them. Now, justice must not be delayed any longer. Tshabile was found guilty months ago and the time for excuses is over.”
Action Society believes this case reflects a broader and deeply concerning pattern in South Africa’s justice system. Perpetrators repeatedly benefit from administrative failures while families wait for closure with no certainty or clarity.
“As a country, we cannot continue to accept that the lives of victims and their families mean so little,” added Palm. “On Wednesday, the court has an opportunity to restore faith in justice and to show that accountability still matters.”
Action Society will attend the proceedings and will be available for comment outside the court.
