The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria delivers life sentences to three farmers for racially charged murder.
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What began as a casual afternoon braai on a farm in Mamokgalieskraal ended in a brutal killing that the court has now ruled was racially motivated.
The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has sentenced Jaco Wessels Kemp (36), Louise Coetzee (29), and Gert Frederik van der Westhuizen (38) to life imprisonment for the premeditated murder of farm resident Dumisani Phakathi.
Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the court also declared the trio unfit to possess firearms and ordered them to surrender all related licences, permits and ammunition.
According to evidence presented in court, the three were socialising at a braai on September 16, 2023, when they noticed Phakathi walking past the farm gate on his way to collect water from a nearby furrow, a resource commonly used by members of the local community.
“At about 4pm, they noticed Phakathi walking past the farm gate… the group approached him, assaulted him and dragged him into a storage facility on the farm. The assault continued until he succumbed to his injuries,” Mahanjana said.
Hours later, in the early morning of September 17, police conducting a stop-and-search operation on the R511 near Brits intercepted a bakkie driven by Kemp and Coetzee. The vehicle was loaded with black refuse bags.
“During the search, officers noticed human legs protruding from beneath the bags. Upon closer inspection, they discovered the bloodied body of Phakathi, his head covered in plastic. Kemp and Coetzee were arrested at the scene,” she said.
Van der Westhuizen handed himself over to police the following day.
During the trial, all three accused pleaded not guilty and attempted to shift blame onto one another. However, State Prosecutor Advocate Lawrence More presented witness testimony that proved the State’s case beyond reasonable doubt.
The defence asked the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence, citing time spent in custody and parental responsibilities. The prosecution opposed the request, arguing that the murder was senseless and executed in a cruel and inhumane manner.
The court heard that the victim’s body had been placed in rubbish bags in what appeared to be an attempt to dispose of it at a dumping site.
In delivering judgment, the court found that the accused showed no remorse and that the killing had no apparent motive. It concluded that the only reasonable inference was that the murder was racially motivated.
According to evidence presented in court, the three were socialising at a braai on September 16, 2023, when they noticed Phakathi walking past the farm gate on his way to collect water from a nearby furrow, a resource commonly used by members of the local community.
“At about 4pm, they noticed Phakathi walking past the farm gate… the group approached him, assaulted him and dragged him into a storage facility on the farm. The assault continued until he succumbed to his injuries,” Mahanjana said.
Hours later, in the early morning of September 17, police conducting a stop-and-search operation on the R511 near Brits intercepted a bakkie driven by Kemp and Coetzee. The vehicle was loaded with black refuse bags.
“During the search, officers noticed human legs protruding from beneath the bags. Upon closer inspection, they discovered the bloodied body of Phakathi, his head covered in plastic. Kemp and Coetzee were arrested at the scene,” she said.
Van der Westhuizen handed himself over to police the following day.
During the trial, all three accused pleaded not guilty and attempted to shift blame onto one another. However, State Prosecutor Advocate Lawrence More presented witness testimony that proved the State’s case beyond reasonable doubt.
The defence asked the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence, citing time spent in custody and parental responsibilities. The prosecution opposed the request, arguing that the murder was senseless and executed in a cruel and inhumane manner.
The court heard that the victim’s body had been placed in rubbish bags in what appeared to be an attempt to dispose of it at a dumping site.
In delivering judgment, the court found that the accused showed no remorse and that the killing had no apparent motive. It concluded that the only reasonable inference was that the murder was racially motivated.