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Lutzville farmer Martin Visser has been handed a life sentence for the murder of farmworker Adam Pieterse.
Visser used a spade to beat Pieterse up and used his quad bike to drag him, before forcing the victim's two friends to bury him among the remains of dead animals.
Here are 10 memorable quotes from Judge Nathan Erasmus during sentencing in the Western Cape High Court, sitting in Vredendal, on Wednesday:
- "A human being's family has been robbed of the opportunity to just know he is alive; to know what happened to their brother. They don't have that, only the findings of the court. [Martin Visser] still hasn't told us anything."
- "I don’t want to send a message that farmworkers' lives are cheap. It's not.
- "Whatever the sentence, the damage that has been caused cannot be corrected. They will never have the privilege of seeing their loved one again.
- "I would be naïve if I didn't take the power relations in this community into account.
- "Only if I remove [Martin Visser] from society will it ensure that he doesn't do it again.
- "He disposed of the body, not only in a place where sick and dead animals are buried. He buried him like an animal."
- "'How dare you lay a charge against me. How dare you not do what I say.' That's the relationship between Visser and the victims."
- "[Adam Pieterse] had the audacity to report [a second assault case against Visser] as well, knowing he had a suspended sentence. And then he went and killed the person."
- "Drankskuld. Selling liquor on the book seems to be the cause of these problems. It's an integral part of the offences."
- "Is there truth that the police don't worry about cases which come from farms? This is not the place to give judgement on the actions of the SA Police or the National Prosecution Authority. But it is relevant."
