BARRAGE – A cattle deal ended in a bloodbath when a young farmer was lured to a lonely gravel road and shot dead.

Now, the man who killed him will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Fredrick Pieter Jacobus Botha (44), a Vanderbijlpark livestock dealer, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Pretoria High Court for the premeditated murder of Christiaan van Tonder.

Botha was also sentenced to 10 years for stealing cattle, seven years for possessing an unlicensed firearm and three years for possessing ammunition.

The additional sentences will run concurrently with his life sentence.

According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, the deadly deal happened on November 29, 2021.

Van Tonder had sold 31 head of cattle to Botha.

But after taking possession of the livestock, Botha allegedly asked the young farmer to accompany him in Van Tonder’s bakkie to a remote spot near the Theoville plots in Barrage.

He claimed they needed to finalise payment, but instead, the meeting ended in murder.

“Upon arriving at the location, Botha shot and killed the deceased while he was seated in his bakkie,” Mahanjana said.

Later that day, members of the Barrage Neighbourhood Watch discovered the vehicle with Van Tonder’s body inside and alerted the police.

Botha was arrested on August 29, 2023 after an extensive investigation.

During the trial, he pleaded not guilty to all the charges and denied any involvement in the crimes.

But State Prosecutor Advocate Jeniffer Cronje presented evidence that proved his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

During sentencing, Botha’s lawyer asked the court to impose a lighter sentence, arguing that four permanent employees depended on him for work and that he financially supported his wife, children and other family members.

Cronje argued that the murder was carefully planned and motivated by greed.

She told the court that Van Tonder had been lured to a secluded gravel road, where his life was brutally cut short.

The prosecutor also highlighted the devastating impact of the murder on the young farmer’s family, particularly his mother, who continues to suffer severe psychological trauma.

The court agreed with the State, finding that Botha had shown no remorse for his actions.

It also found that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances to justify a lesser sentence.

The NPA welcomed the sentence, saying it sends a strong message that stock theft and violent crimes against members of the farming community will not be tolerated.