White South African farmers who forced black 'trespasser' into coffin and threatened to bury him alive jailed
Theo Martins Jackson and Willem Osthuizen sentenced to 11 and 14 years in prison respectively for attempted murder, assault and kidnapping
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Two white South African farmers who were filmed pushing a wailing black man into a coffin were sentenced to jail on Friday for attempted murder, assault and kidnapping.
The 20-second video, widely circulated on social media last year, shows the victim Victor Mlotshwa cowering inside a coffin as one man pushes the lid down and the other threatens to put petrol and a snake inside.
The defendants Theo Jackson, sentenced to 14 years, and Willem Oosthuizen, sentenced to 11 years, had pleaded not guilty.
The two said they had caught Mlotshwa trespassing on their farm in possession of stolen copper cables.
The case, heard at a court in Middelburg, about 160 km (100 miles) east of the capital Pretoria, has caused outrage in a country where deep racial divides persist 23 years after the fall of apartheid.
Black people make up 80 percent of South Africa's 54 million population yet most its wealth remains in the hands of white people who account for about 8 percent of the population.
The defence immediately requested to be allowed to appeal against the sentence, but it was not clear whether they would be granted the right to lodge a formal appeal.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments