The two accused who were hired as hitmen to kill Pofadder Hotel owner Leon Brits were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Northern Cape High Court.
THE TWO accused who were hired as hitmen to kill Pofadder Hotel owner Leon Brits were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Northern Cape High Court, seated in the Upington Circuit Court.
Brits’ body was found floating in a swimming pool at one of his properties in Pofadder on October 7, 2020, where he had been choked with a dog chain and stabbed several times.
Several valuables including firearms, a cellphone, Krugerrands, polished diamonds and cash were taken from the premises during the incident.
The two accused, Amantle Bareki, 25, and Elrich Williams, 35, were sentenced on February 2.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the accused were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder, 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances and 10 years’ imprisonment for the unlawful possession of firearms.
“The sentences will run concurrently. Both accused were declared unfit to possess firearms,” said Senokoatsane.
He added that the accused had not appealed the sentence.
“The accused maintained their innocence throughout their trial. They were sentenced as an outcome of the trial.”
During the trial, another accused, Jacques van Vuuren, who turned State witness, testified that Suretha Brits had tasked him to identify hitmen who were prepared to kill her husband.
Van Vuuren is currently serving a 25-year sentence that was suspended for five years.
Suretha Brits, 31, entered into a plea and sentence agreement, where she confessed to hiring hitmen to carry out the murder.
She told the court that her husband was abusive, sexually demanding and had also forced her to abort their twins when she fell pregnant at the age of 15.
Suretha claimed that her husband had threatened to take everything from her, including her children, and threatened to kill her and himself if she tried to divorce him.
