The high-profile trial of Karoo farmer Louis Lategan took a dramatic and contentious turn this week as his defense team pointed an accusatory finger away from the dock and toward his former wife. In a bold courtroom strategy, they suggested the shocking allegations of trafficking and rape brought by six young au pairs were not what they seemed, but rather part of a calculated “campaign” to destroy him.
The sensational claim was put forward during the cross-examination of the state’s final witness, Detective Captain Theo van Zyl. As the case that has horrified the nation nears the end of the prosecution’s presentation, the defense sought to introduce a new narrative of manipulation and revenge.
Messages and Motives
Lawyer Danie Gouws presented text messages between Lategan’s ex-wife and one of the six accusersthe same woman who allegedly became pregnant after being raped on the farm. The messages appeared to show the ex-wife acting as an intermediary, contacting investigators on the victim’s behalf and arranging meetings.
In one message, the ex-wife wrote to an officer, “She [the victim] wishes to make a statement… I will send you one off her voice notes, my [new] husband will send everything.” Gouws emphasized that these communications occurred even before the first official case was opened, implying the ex-wife was proactively building the case.
The defense’s implication was clear: the ex-wife, who was granted primary custody of their two children in their 2020 divorce, was orchestrating the allegations. They referenced another message where she allegedly told a victim, “we will win the case,” painting a picture of a personal vendetta rather than a pursuit of justice.
The State’s Harrowing Case
This defense theory stands in stark contrast to the grim picture painted by the state over the course of the trial. The six women accuse Lategan of luring them to his isolated Aberdeen farm under the guise of legitimate au pair work, only to be drugged, held against their will, and systematically sexually abused. The tragic death by suicide of one of the accusers has cast a long shadow over the proceedings.
The prosecution’s evidence has included a trove of items seized from the farma large collection of sex toys, lubricants, and sexual sprays that Detective Van Zyl testified were consistent with the victims’ harrowing accounts.
Van Zyl also revealed that most victims did not initially come forward to police. The investigation was triggered in late 2022 when a psychologist, counseling one of the women, contacted authorities after hearing her client’s story of being lured to the farm and raped. From that first tip, the case “snowballed” as more names emerged.
As the trial adjourns, two opposing realities now hang in the air. The defense argues for a conspiracy fueled by a bitter divorce. The prosecution maintains its case of calculated predation. With the state nearing the end of its presentation, the court is left to weigh the chilling evidence of abuse against the defense’s claims of a manipulated plot.
