Eastern Cape farmer convicted of trafficking and rape after luring young women

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has secured a conviction against 42-year-old farmer Louis Stephanus Lategan after a High Court in Makhanda found him guilty of trafficking, rape and multiple assault charges following evidence that he lured young women to his remote farm with false job offers.

Verdict at the High Court

Lategan, who lives on a farm in Xamdeboo (formerly Aberdeen), appeared in the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Makhanda on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, where the court returned guilty verdicts on a range of charges.

The court convicted him on:

• six counts of trafficking in persons
• five counts of rape
• two counts of assault as a competent verdict on two of the rape counts
• three counts of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to children
• two counts of common assault on adult workers
• one count of assaulting a child
• two counts of unlawful possession of more than 200 rounds of ammunition

How victims were lured and abused

NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tiyali told the court that Lategan advertised on Facebook for au pairs and later used an employment agency to attract young women to the farm, promising pay between R5 000 and R30 000 for their services.

“On different occasions between 2020 and 2023, young women, aged between 18 and 21 years of age, desperate for employment, responded to the advertisements and accepted the accused’s employment offers with the promise of paying them between R5 000 and R30 000 for their services.”

Tiyali said the complainants came from cities including Bloemfontein, Emalahleni, Standerton and Amanzimtoti. He told the court the accused made the women consume alcohol or a drink laced with a drug that rendered them extremely drowsy, after which they would wake naked and in pain.

Evidence of physical abuse and trial details

Prosecution-guided investigations that began in 2023 uncovered accounts of physical abuse on the farm, including assaults with a broomstick and sjambok, kicking and being pushed into water, the NPA said.

During a trial that ran for more than 18 months, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Nickie Turner led evidence from 24 witnesses. The accused pleaded not guilty, called four witnesses in his defence and testified himself. The court acquitted him on one count of rape because the child complainant did not testify.

Next steps

The matter has been postponed for sentencing proceedings to Monday, 21 September 2026. The NPA said it remains committed to combating gender-based violence and femicide and ensuring victims and their families obtain justice through the criminal justice system.