One of the men who murdered Muldersdrift restaurateur Clive Rautenbach was his favoured employee, and when Jacob Mareko heard this, he cried.
Testimony in aggravation of sentence against Mareko, 38, and his accomplices Elvis Mohlabe, 32, Thabo Moloi, 22 (alias Washington Moyo), and Prosper Shoge, 25, at the Johannesburg High Court had to be halted to give Mareko time to compose himself.
According to Rautenbach's 26-year-old daughter Candice, the La Terrasse Restaurant and Hotel owner always made sure that Mareko had a job and a place to stay, and that his children were properly schooled.
Candice told the court that her father had employed Mareko as a caddie since the 1990s. Rautenbach travelled with Mareko throughout the country while playing golf.
In her testimony, Candice said: "My father secured jobs for Jack (Jacob)… He trusted Jack. He schooled Jack's children in Melville."
After hearing the testimony of Candice and of Rautenbach's lover, Nicolene da Costa's, Judge Nigel Willis sentenced the four to life in prison.
Rautenbach was killed by a single shot, fired by Moloi, while he lay on his bed in his hotel room in July 2007.
Since the murder, Candice's eldest brother, Quinton, has refused to return to the country and is also worried about the welfare of their half-brother and sister, Kirsten and Ryan, who will grow up without a father.
Asked about the effect on her, a tearful Candice said: "My father will not see me getting married. He will never know my children."
The four men were also sentenced to 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances and three years for the illegal possession of firearms.
Moloi was also sentenced to an additional six months for possession of ammunition, while Shoge, who was convicted of rape, was sentenced to 15 years for the sexual violation.
Judge Willis also ordered the Department of Correctional Services to consult the victims before the men were released on parole.
"The killers' crime has implications that go far further (than the loss of a life). We have heard evidence that a lot of people have lost their employment," said the judge.
"It deters much-needed investment in our economy… the provision of jobs and the creation of wealth. Crimes of this nature… cut right through society," said Judge Willis.
He said Mareko's conduct in planning the robbery was "utterly treacherous and reprehensible". While Rautenbach's family were speechless after the verdict, the family of the man who pulled the trigger have apologised to them.
Outside the court yesterday, Moloi's uncle, Mackay Ndlovu, approached Candice and her uncle, Ian Temple, and expressed his family's regret about the involvement of their son and nephew in the murder.
Ndlovu also told the Rautenbachs that his nephew had lied about his identity when he claimed in court that he was originally from Tzaneen and his name was Thabo Moloi.
"He comes from Zimbabwe and his real name is Washington Moyo," Ndlovu said.