The High Court in Pretoria has ruled that the South African Police Service SAPS must provide legal support to convicted former police Colonel Eugene de Kock for his role as a witness in the Cradock Four inquest.
The inquest, which reopened nearly 40 years after the 1985 killings, seeks to determine who was responsible for the abduction and murder of anti-apartheid activists Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sicelo Mhlauli and Sparrow Mkhonto.
The first sitting of the inquest, which heard testimony from family members and witnesses , concluded earlier this month in the Gqeberha High Court.
Proceedings are set to resume in October.
De Kock, the former commander of the apartheid-era Vlakplaas death squad, has been granted legal representation by order of the High Court.