PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA OCTOBER 11: (L-R) Jaco Wessel Kemp, Louis Coetzee and Gert van der Westhuizen appear in the Pretoria High Court on October 11, 2024 in Pretoria, South Africa. The three suspects are accused of assaulting and murdering Dumisani Phakhathi last year. (Photo by Gallo Images/Beeld/Deaan Vivier)
The High Court in Pretoria has convicted three farmers of murdering a black farm dweller in 2023 and attempting to conceal the violent crime.
Jaco Wessels Kemp, Louise Coetzee, and Gert Frederik van der Westhuizen were found guilty of murdering Dumisani Phakathi, a farm dweller, on Wednesday.
Farmers convicted of farm dweller’s murder
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the trio had a braai at the chicken farm in Mamogaleskraal on 16 September 2023.
At about 4pm, Kemp, Coetzee and Van der Westhuizen saw Phakathi walk past the farm gate on his way to collect water from a nearby furrow.
Mahanjana said the furrow was commonly used by community members as a water source.
“They then dragged him into a storage facility inside the chicken farm, where the assault continued until he succumbed to his injuries,” she said.
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At approximately 2am on 17 September, 2023, the police stopped Kemp and Coetzee, driving in a bakkie, during a stop-and-search operation on the R511 towards Brits. The officers found the vehicle 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,” Mahanjana said.
The police arrested the two immediately at the scene. Van der Westhuizen then handed himself over to the police on 19 September 2023 after investigations linked him to the offence.
Kemp, Coetzee and Van der Westhuizen shifted blame in court
The three accused all pleaded not guilty to the charges in court and shifted the blame for Phakathi’s death onto one another.
The NPA said the state prosecutor, Advocate Lawrence More, presented compelling evidence through state witnesses, proving the state’s case beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The NPA welcomes the conviction and reiterates its commitment to ensuring accountability for violent crimes, particularly those committed against vulnerable members of society,” Mahanjana said.
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The matter was postponed to 16 March 2026 for sentencing proceedings.
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