[ad_1]
Five Parys farmers in the Free State have been convicted of common assault and assault charges with the intent to cause serious bodily harm, leading to the deaths of two farm workers.
Judge Corne van Zyl found Gert van der Westhuizen, Anton Loggenberg, both 53, Lodewikus van der Westhuizen, 22, Cornelius Loggenberg, 23, and Gert van Vuuren, 26, guilty in the Free State High Court on Friday, Authority National National Prosecutor (NPA) spokesman Phaladi Shuping said.
Gert van der Westhuizen and Anton Loggenberg were convicted of one count of common assault and one count of assault with the intent to cause serious bodily harm.
Convicted
Lodewikus van der Westhuizen was convicted of two counts of assault with the intent to cause serious bodily harm and one count of defeating the ends of justice.
Cornelius Loggenberg and Van Vuuren were found guilty of one count of assault with the intent to cause serious bodily harm.
Shuping said that, according to evidence presented in court, the two farm workers, Simon Tjixa, 35, and Simon Jubeba, 29, had gone to the home of their employer Loedie van der Westhuizen to demand their wages on Sept. 6. January 2016.
This was after they had not been paid for the job in November 2015.
READ | Coligny murder: men sentenced to 23 and 18 years in prison
A clash ensued at Van der Westhuizen’s Kocksrust farm, prompting him to alert a security company to an attack on his farm.
“This was done by activating an alarm system. When the alarm went off, it also alerted neighboring farmers, who converged on the scene,” Shuping said.
Then a group of local farmers tracked down and confronted Tjixa and Jubeba about eight kilometers from the farm, where they were assaulted before being handed over to the police.
Shuping said that Tjixa was admitted to the Parys Provincial Hospital and that Jubeba was transferred to the Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein.
Jubeba was pronounced dead on arrival, while Tjixa died a day later.
The sixth defendant in the matter, Hendrik Prinsloo, 49, who was a police officer at the time of the incident, was acquitted of all charges, Shuping added.
Sentencing proceedings have been postponed until August 24, 2020.
NOW READ | ENCA cameraman Lungile Tom dies of Covid-19
[ad_2]
