Share

Judgment expected in Vredendal trial of farmer who allegedly killed and buried worker

The trial of a farmer, accused of murdering a farm worker and burying him in a shallow grave on a farm, is expected to draw to a close on Tuesday when the Western Cape High Court, sitting in Vredendal, gives judgment.

Martin Visser was arrested after he allegedly murdered farmworker Adam Pieterse and buried him in a shallow grave on the farm near Lutzville on the West Coast in February 2015.

Visser allegedly using a garden spade to beat the man to death.

He runs the Dassieshoek farm and was arrested about 18 months after the murder of 32-year-old Pieterse, who previously laid an assault charge against him.

He pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and four counts of common assault of three other people.

Pathologist Dr Esme Erasmus conducted the post-mortem after Pieterse's remains were unearthed on March 18, 2015.

Pieterse's sand-covered body was clothed in a T-shirt, blue torn shorts and tights, she told Judge Nathan Erasmus.

According to her report, the body was in an advanced stage of decomposition.

He had cuts on his scalp and his brain was too decomposed to be assessed.

He also had a cut on his left upper arm, which resembled a defensive wound, and his genitals and perineum - the area between the anus and the scrotum - had been mutilated after his death, the court heard.

READ: 'You are going to k*k' - farm worker claims farmer threatened him if he spilled the beans about murder

KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.

- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do airplane mishaps have any effect on which airline you book your flights with?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, these things happen. I pick based on price
48% - 1130 votes
Yes, my safety matters. I don't take any chances
52% - 1209 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.15
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.93
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.54
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.49
-0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.5%
Platinum
916.60
+0.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+0.7%
Gold
2,322.42
+0.3%
Silver
27.29
+0.5%
Brent-ruolie
88.02
-0.5%
Top 40
68,409
-0.2%
All Share
74,339
-0.2%
Resource 10
60,121
-0.5%
Industrial 25
103,713
-0.3%
Financial 15
15,855
+0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE