LIMPOPO. — Gareth Alexander Potgieter (38) and Wynand Carel Steyn (38) were sentenced to life imprisonment in the Polokwane High Court on Friday for the murder of Hendrik Stephanus Venter (43), whose remains were found in 2022 alongside a dirt road in the Northam area. The victim was murdered, cut into pieces and burned before his remains were dumped along the De Put dirt road. Venter was reported missing on 20 August 2021.
Human ribs, vertebrae and the deceased man's ring were recovered during the investigation. A washbasin in which confirmed DNA of Venter was found, as well as a saw, axe and electric chainsaw, were seized by police at the time.
Col. Malesela Ledwaba, police spokesperson, said an investigation began after Venter was reported missing on 20 August 2021. Potgieter was arrested in Bloemfontein, while Steyn was already in custody in connection with a copper theft case. Both were found guilty of murder and defeating the ends of justice. They were each sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and a further five years for defeating the ends of justice. The court ordered that the sentences be served concurrently.
Capt. Piet du Plessis of the Northam detectives handled the investigation and bail was successfully opposed throughout. Lt. Gen. Jan Scheepers, provincial police commissioner in Limpopo, welcomed the convictions and sentences and commended Du Plessis for his thorough investigation.
Capt. Piet du Plessis
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
