LIMPOPO – Two men have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a 43-year-old Northam man whose body was dismembered, burned and dumped along a gravel road in the Waterberg District.

The Polokwane High Court on Friday sentenced Gareth Alexander Potgieter (38) and Wynand Carel Steyn (38) for the murder of Hendrik Stephanus Venter.

From missing person to murder investigation

According to court evidence, Venter was reported missing at the Northam Police Station on August 20, 2021.

Police later established that he had been murdered, dismembered and burned, with his remains discarded along the De Put gravel road under the Northam policing area. A murder case was opened after the information was confirmed in July 2022.

Potgieter was arrested in Bloemfontein before being transferred to Northam, while Steyn was already in custody on an unrelated copper theft case.

Key evidence uncovered

During the investigation, police recovered human ribs and vertebrae believed to be Venter’s, as well as his ring.

Investigators also seized a wash basin containing the deceased’s DNA, together with a saw, an axe and an electric wood saw.

Life sentences handed down

Both men were convicted and sentenced on Friday on charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice.

They were each sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and a further five years’ imprisonment for defeating the ends of justice. The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently.