Middelburg - Two men have been convicted on Friday on all counts, except one, for assaulting farmworker Victor Mlotshwa and shoving him into a coffin.
The judgement was handed down in the High Court sitting in the Middelburg Magistrate's Court by Judge Sheila Mphahlele who found Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Jackson guilty of attempted murder, assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, kidnapping, and intimidation. One of the men was also found guilty of obstructing the administration of justice.
"The conduct of the accused...is evidence of people intending to commit murder," Mphahlele ruled.
"In the final analysis the State has proven beyond a reasonable doubt the commission of all offences except for count one."
Count one was the illegal possession of a firearm. Mphahelele said this charge was not proven.
Oosthuizen and Jackson were arrested late last year shortly after a video of the incident went viral on social media and sparked outrage as well as making headlines internationally.