WATCH: Justice served as Charles Appolis is convicted of murdering Nadia Lotz

GUILTY said the magistrate in the long-delayed trial of Charles Appolis, accused of murdering his girlfriend Nadia Lotz, 28.

There were sighs of relief inside the Strand Magistrates’ Court, especially from the family of the Lotz.  As the verdict was read, the family were visibly emotional after years of legal wrangling and repeated postponements.

Lotz was brutally attacked on 4 March 2023, stabbed 15 times and having her throat slit while seated in a vehicle. In a desperate attempt to escape, she leapt from the moving car and later died from her injuries. Appolis, her long-term boyfriend, has consistently denied responsibility, claiming a close friend of Lotz carried out the attack.

The trial, which began in July 2025, was plagued by delays, with the court previously granting 23 postponements at the request of the defence.

Over the course of the proceedings, the State presented harrowing testimony from multiple witnesses, including an independent eyewitness who saw Lotz fall from the vehicle, crime scene photographs, and a post-mortem report detailing her fatal injuries.

Inside the courtroom on Friday, emotions ran high as the magistrate handed down the verdict of guilty.

The magistrate said when Appolis went to the police station and uttered the words "ek het die ding vrek gesteek, ek het my meisie gesteek", that he realised he made the biggest mistake of his life.

She further let the court know that she rejected the accused version that Lotz's best friend was the murderer.

"He told the court that the best friend, Kristine Moodley wanted him and Lotz was standing in the way causing her to act out of jealousy."

According to Appolis it was Moodley who sat in the back seat of the car and carried out the act after confessing her feelings for him.

The magistrate however also rejected this with another Independent witness account who was driving behind Moodley and the couple.

According to the witness, she could clearly see a man seated at the back of the car and also witnessed Lotz falling out of the car and attending to her, with Moodley returning to the scene of her deceased best friend.

She said Moodley was hysterical and calling out for Nadia, she said she learnt that Moodley had dropped Appolis at the police station and returned to the scene.

Family members and supporters broke into tears, expressing a sense of closure after more than three years of uncertainty. 

Kaylynn Palm, Head of Action Society’s Action Centre in the Western Cape, who religiously followed and supported the case noted the significance of the ruling, saying it reinforced accountability in cases of domestic violence and gender-based killings.

 “For 1 084 days, Nadia’s family has endured the agony of delay, contradiction and courtroom trauma. Today’s guilty verdict confirms that the evidence prevailed and that accountability is possible, even after prolonged proceedings. But if we are serious about reducing violent crime in South Africa, cases like this cannot be the exception. Consistent convictions and real consequences are the only meaningful deterrent. When perpetrators know they will be held accountable, it changes behaviour. Justice must not be uncertain or rare. It must be expected.”

She spoke on the emotional toll the repeated delays had taken on the family, but said the final judgement highlighted the importance of perseverance in seeking justice. 

A spokesperson for the Lotz family said: “Justice has finally been served. Nadia’s memory can now rest with dignity. The family is grateful to the court for seeing this case through and for all the support given over the years."

Lotz best friend, Moodley broke down in tears outside the court, saying that her role in securing justice for her friend had been fulfilled.

With the trial concluded and a guilty verdict now secured, the Lotz family can begin the long process of healing, while the public reflects on a case that brought into sharp focus both the horrors of intimate partner violence and the need for an efficient criminal justice system.

Appolis will be sentenced on 19 March 2026.