What led to this judgement

KOSTER SHOOTING: murder acquittal, suspended sentences for fleeing the scene of the incident

Platinum Weekly newspaper | Rustenburg – George and Wilma Koster were shot dead in broad daylight in the parking area of Platinum Square Shopping Centre on Saturday, 14 June 2025. More than a year later, the verdict has left their family devastated and Rustenburg residents questioning how the court reached its decision.

On Tuesday, 22 September 2026, Judge Tebogo Djaje acquitted Onke Bongo of murdering the couple. Acquitted means he was found not guilty of those charges. Bongo did not deny shooting George and Wilma. The court accepted his account that he acted in self-defence when he shot the unarmed George Koster (69) and also found that he acted in self-defence when he shot Wilma Koster (65), who after her husband was shot, stormed their car with a knobkerrie, trying to protect her husband.

The State disputed that account. A witness testified that Bongo shot George first and then Wilma, who had approached with a knobkierie. Bongo maintained that he feared for his life.

The shooting followed a confrontation after the door of a parked Kia struck the Kosters’ vehicle.

For months, residents have asked to see the CCTV footage from the parking area. Platinum Weekly raised that concern in its earlier coverage.

We still want to know: was the footage shown in court, what did it show, and can it lawfully be made available to the public?

The full court reasons would also help the community understand how the judge weighed the conflicting accounts.

Bongo and Gift Mhlanga were both convicted of defeating the ends of justice for their actions after the shooting. Each received a five-year prison sentence, wholly suspended for five years. Neither received any jailtime. The suspended sentence may be put into effect if they commit a similar offence during the suspension period. Mhlanga did not face murder charges.

The Kosters’ daughter, Jacqueline Engelbrecht, said after the verdict that she was angry and bitterly disappointed. Earlier this year, as the family endured repeated court delays, she told Platinum Weekly: “It has been incredibly overwhelming.”

The prosecutor said the State would study the court record and consider an appeal. No appeal decision has been announced.

At the time of going to print the court record was not yet made available.

A verdict was delivered. The family’s loss remains, and the public needs to understand the evidence and how it formed the decision.