Farm attacker who beat Okiep farmer to death gets 18 years
Greyton Cloete confessed to the 2020 murder and robbery of 66-year-old Edward Coetsee at Kalkfontein Farm, and DNA later linked a second suspect who remains in custody.
A 27-year-old man has been sentenced to an effective 18 years in prison for the murder and robbery of a 66-year-old farmer in the Northern Cape, more than five years after the attack.
Greyton Cloete was sentenced in the Springbok Regional Court for the murder and robbery of Edward Coetsee, a farmer from Kalkfontein Farm in Okiep. The South African Police Service announced the conviction and sentence in a media statement from the Office of the Provincial Commissioner Northern Cape.
The attack happened on 12 November 2020 at about 02:00. According to the police statement, two suspects entered the victim’s farmhouse and demanded money. When Coetsee told them he had no money, they attempted to take his personal belongings and assaulted him. He sustained life-threatening injuries and was later found and taken to hospital, where he died. The suspects fled with his belongings.
Cloete was arrested in June 2023 following investigative work by Detective Captain Hermie Beukes. During the investigation he confessed to his involvement in the murder and robbery. Police say further investigative work, supported by DNA evidence, linked a second suspect to the crime. Both men remained in custody.
The court sentenced Cloete to 20 years’ imprisonment on the murder count, of which two years were suspended for five years, giving an effective 18 years of direct imprisonment. On the robbery count he was sentenced to 10 years. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently. Cloete was also declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act.
The Namakwa District SAPS management commended Beukes for his dedication, perseverance and thorough investigative work, which it said contributed to securing the conviction. The service said it remains committed to investigating serious and violent crimes and bringing perpetrators before the courts, and that the conviction serves as a reminder that it will continue to pursue cases even when investigations are complex and justice takes time.
The statement does not name the second suspect, does not say whether that person has been charged or appeared in court, and gives no date for any further court appearance. It also does not state the current status of the case against the second suspect beyond confirming that he remained in custody.
Enquiries on the matter are directed to Captain Ivan Magerman on 083 478 9317.
Source: South African Police Service, Office of the Provincial Commissioner Northern Cape, https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=71752
