Pretoria – The three farmers, who were found guilty of the murder of a farm dweller by the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, will be sentenced next month, in March.
The farmers, 36-year-old Jaco Wessels Kemp, 29-year-old Louise Coetzee, and Gert Frederik van der Westhuizen, have been found guilty of the murder of Dumisani Phakathi.
The court heard evidence that on 16 September 2023, the three farmers were having a braai at the chicken farm in Mamokgalieskraal, in the North West.
At approximately 16h00, they saw Phakathi walking past the farm gate on his way to collect water from a nearby furrow, which community members commonly use as a water source.
The farmers accosted Phakathi and began beating him up.
Kemp, Coetzee, and Van der Westhuizen dragged Phakathi into a storage facility inside the chicken farm, where they continued the assault until he succumbed to his injuries.
In the early hours of 17 September 2023, at approximately 02h00, Kemp and Coetzee were stopped by police during a stop-and-search operation on the R511 towards Brits while driving a bakkie.
The vehicle was loaded with black refuse bags.
During the search, police noticed human legs protruding from underneath the bags.
Upon further inspection, they discovered the bloodied body of the deceased, with his head covered in plastic.
Kemp and Coetzee were immediately arrested at the scene.
Van der Westhuizen handed himself over to the police on 19 September 2023 after investigations linked him to the offence.
In court, all three accused pleaded not guilty to the charges and shifted blame onto one another.
However, the State Prosecutor, Advocate Lawrence More, presented compelling evidence through State witnesses, proving the State’s case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The matter has been adjourned to 16 March 2026 for sentencing proceedings.
Commenting on the guilty finding on Wednesday, 18 February 2026, spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said: “The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the conviction and reiterates its commitment to ensuring accountability for violent crimes, particularly those committed against vulnerable members of society”.
