by Staff writer
The two white South African farmers who forced a black man into a coffin have been convicted of attempted murder and kidnapping.
Victor Mlotshwa, 27, was beaten and made to get into a coffin by Theo Martins Jackson and Willem Oosthuizen in August 2016.
 |
| Two white South Africans Theo Martins Jackson and Willem Oosthuizen kidnapped and assaulted black man, Victor Mlotshwa. |
The case has caused outrage in South Africa and highlighted racial tensions in some farming communities.
 |
| Victor Mlotshwa was walking home when he was kidnapped and assaulted by Theo Martins Jackson and Willem Oosthuizen. |
Mr Mlotshwa only reported the matter after footage of the assault emerged on YouTube months later.
His attackers threatened to douse him in petrol and burn him alive.
In a court affidavit, Jackson and Oosthuizen said they did not mean to harm Mr Mlotshwa but merely wanted to “teach him a lesson”.
They claimed that Mr Mlotshwa had been trespassing on their land.
He denied this, saying he was taking a short cut to the shops, where he had been sent by his mother.
As Judge Segopotje Mphahlele read out the guilty verdict in Middelburg Magistrates Court on Friday, supporters of the victim burst into songs of celebration.
“I’m relieved that justice has been served,” Mr Mlotshwa told the BBC.
Judge Mphahlele told the court she was satisfied that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and that it was clear that the convicted men intended to kill the victim.
Shortly after the guilty verdict was delivered to a packed courtroom, the visibly emotional victim, Victor Mlotshwa, told me he was relieved:
“I feel good about the outcome. I’m not saying all white South Africans are racist, but the court must set an example to those who commit such acts.”
