Water, Blood, and Silence: Inside the Trial Over Dumisani Phakathi’s Brutal Killing

It began with a walk to fetch water. It ended with a man beaten to death and hidden under rubbish bags.

This week, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria heard closing arguments in the trial of Dumisani Phakathi’s alleged killers, a case that has stunned the small farming community of Brits and raised troubling questions about brutality in rural South Africa.

Phakathi, a farm worker, was allegedly attacked and murdered on 16 September 2023, after approaching a nearby chicken farm with a plastic container in hand. His body was only discovered the next morning, and only because police stopped a suspicious-looking bakkie on the R511 near Brits.

Inside the back of the vehicle were black garbage bags, and sticking out from under them was a pair of bloodied legs.

The Crime: Beaten for Asking for Water

According to testimony, Phakathi was walking to the farm to fetch water. At the gate, he encountered three men, Jaco Kemp, Louis Coetzee, and Gert van der Westhuizen, who were reportedly having a braai.

What happened next, the court heard, was a vicious and sustained assault. Coetzee testified that after he asked what the man wanted, Van der Westhuizen and Kemp appeared. He claims Van der Westhuizen began punching Phakathi, while Kemp repeatedly struck him on the head.

The attack allegedly continued across the farm, ending in a storeroom where Phakathi lost consciousness. He never recovered.

The Trial: Blame, Denial, and Confession

Each of the accused has pleaded not guilty to murder, and throughout the trial, they have blamed each other for the fatal blows.

Kemp admitted to tying Phakathi’s head in plastic, binding his feet, and helping to load the body onto the bakkie, but insisted Van der Westhuizen delivered the fatal assault.

Van der Westhuizen has denied that, pointing to both Kemp and Coetzee. Coetzee, meanwhile, admitted he stood by and did nothing, telling the court he was “afraid” of his co-accused.

The Stop-and-Search That Changed Everything

The case might have never come to light if it weren’t for a routine stop-and-search the following morning. Police stopped the bakkie along the Brits–Thabazimbi Road, noting black bags in the back. Then they saw the legs.

Underneath was Phakathi’s body, his head still wrapped in plastic.

What’s Next?

Both the State and the defence have now closed their cases. The matter has been postponed to 29 July 2025 for final arguments. Judgment will follow shortly thereafter.

Phakathi’s story has drawn outrage across social media, with many describing the murder as “inhumane” and “another reminder of how easily Black lives are discarded in rural SA.” Others have called for tougher penalties and reform around private security conduct on farms.

A Community Still Reeling

In the end, this is not just a story of courtroom finger-pointing. It is about a man who simply asked for water and never came home.

As the court prepares to deliver its final verdict, the small town of Brits, and many more across the country, will be watching.

Also read: Torture or Tactic? Inside Fisokuhle Ntuli’s Explosive Claims in the Senzo Meyiwa Trial

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Source: IOL

Featured Image: News24