Victor Mlotshwa a black South African, 27 years of age was beaten and forced into a coffin by Theo Martins Jackson and Willem Oosthuizen in August of last year (2016).
The two white South Africa farmers are convicted of kidnapping and attempted murder, they will be sentenced on 23 October. Although as usual they denied all the charges.
The case has caused outrage in South Africa and highlighted racial tensions in some farming communities.
In a court affidavit, Jackson and Oosthuizen said they did not mean to harm Mr Mlotshwa but merely wanted to “teach him a lesson”. but the video evidence seen across the world suggested otherwise.
They claimed that Mr Mlotshwa had been trespassing on their land.
He denied this, saying he was taking a short cut to the shops, where he had been sent by his mother.
Guilty Verdict
As Judge Segopotje Mphahlele read out the guilty verdict in Middelburg Magistrates Court on Friday, supporters of the victim burst into songs of celebration.
The poor guy was only walking home from the shop for his mother, yes he walked through the farm as its a short cut home but he has not stolen anything from walking across the field neither has he destroyed anything, even if he stole from these wicked farmers they do not have the right to treat him like that.
The case would have been buried like several like that in South Africa if the video did not appear on social media (You Tube). Mr Mlotshwa was only able to report the matter
after footage has emerged on the media otherwise no one would have believed him.
The victim and his attackers live in the same province of Mpumalanga, which is synonymous with such attacks, many of these incidents go unreported due to fear or intimidation.
It is believed that some white farmers attack their black employees, who never report them to police for fear of losing their jobs. Many suffers sexual and physical assaults of unimaginable levels at the hands of the white farmers but will not report it because serious intimidation.
People can understand why the victim never reported this case until the the You Tube video.
Judge Mphahlele told the court she was satisfied that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and that it was clear that the convicted men intended to kill the victim
The prosecutor has asked the court to revoke their bail for security reasons, yes for security reasons.
After the guilty verdict was delivered to a packed courtroom, Victor Mlotshwa the victim feels good about the outcome. “I’m not saying all white South Africans are racist, but the court must set an example to those who commit such acts.”
Family of the Victim in court
The video of the assault caused outrage here in South Africa and the rest of the world.
At one point during Mr Mlotshwa’s ordeal, the white farmers threatened to bury him alive, even going as far as asking him if he wanted to die fast or slowly.
Another time in the footage they threatened to douse him in petrol and burn him alive for just walking through an open field in Africa.
Image from Routers
Mr Mlotshwa’s mother, Malehlohonolo, welcomed the ruling. she said
“The ordeal left my son deeply traumatised and I’m happy that his attackers have been found guilty,”
“All I’m asking is for harsh prison sentences for these men.”
Family members of the convicted men were also in court. Willem Oosthuizen’s wife broke down, saying she was shocked by the outcome. Yes you are reading it right, the wife of the white farmer who tried to bury a black man alive was shocked at the verdict, she taught this is just the usual case and the white farmers will get away with it as they normally do. (That statement alone means they have been getting away with loads of such immoral treatment to BLACKS in South Africa).
This incident lays bare the discrimination that still runs deep in South African society.
Many hope that those who commit such crimes will be harshly dealt with by the law.
The white south African settlers somehow in their funny heads still believe they are better than the original black Africans.
White South Africans need to know that they have been fully accepted as Africans by the Africans so they should start behaving like Africans and love one another.
As blacks are constantly told everyday in Europe and America to go back to Africa but here we are in Africa the white settlers still believe they are better off, should we say White Africans should go back home too?
We are all Africans both Blacks and Whites and real African are very accommodating and will not ask fellow African to vacate his country even if at some stage, in time past they have come from another world.