Mxolisi Sibusiso Mnisi (left) and Mbongeni Walter Nkosi (right) were sentenced to effective prison terms of 23 and 25 years respectively for the December 2023 farm murder of Jannie Weideman in Ermelo. Photo: SAPS Mpumalanga.
Two men have been sentenced to effective prison terms of 25 and 23 years for the murder of 63-year-old Jannie Weideman during a farm attack in Ermelo in December 2023.
The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court, sitting in Delmas, handed down the sentences on Thursday, 22 October 2026, after both men pleaded guilty to murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
According to SAPS Mpumalanga, the attack took place at approximately 22:00 on 22 December 2023 at Roodepoort Farm in Ermelo.
Police were dispatched to the property following a complaint and found private security officers at the scene.
The security officers told police that, while patrolling the premises, they had spotted a suspect fleeing from the farmhouse.
Upon entering the residence to investigate, they discovered Weideman lying motionless on the lounge floor.
Police subsequently found that he had sustained multiple gunshot and stab wounds. Several spent 9mm cartridge cases were recovered at the scene, and emergency medical personnel declared Weideman dead.
Vehicle and firearms stolen
Further investigations revealed that a red Toyota Hilux, firearms, ammunition and jewellery had been stolen from the property.
The Toyota Hilux was later recovered abandoned in Breyten.
The red Toyota Hilux stolen during the December 2023 farm attack in Ermelo was later recovered abandoned in Breyten.
The case was assigned to the SAPS Provincial Murder and Robbery Unit for further investigation.
In January 2024, four men were arrested in Ermelo, with police recovering firearms and ammunition during the arrests.
Court sentences
Two of the accused pleaded guilty and were sentenced as follows:
Mbongeni Walter Nkosi (36) received 20 years' imprisonment for murder and 10 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The court ordered that five years of the robbery sentence run concurrently with the murder sentence, resulting in an effective 25-year prison sentence.
Mxolisi Sibusiso Mnisi (38) received 20 years' imprisonment for murder, with two years suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of another violent offence during the suspension period.
He also received eight years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
With three years of the robbery sentence ordered to run concurrently with the murder sentence, Mnisi will serve an effective 23-year prison sentence.
Proceedings against third accused continue
The case against a third accused, Bongani Khoza, has been postponed to 20 November 2028 for trial in the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court, sitting in Breyten.
The fourth individual was granted indemnity under Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act, and their identity has been withheld.
Mpumalanga Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Apaphia Modise welcomed the sentences and commended the investigating officers, prosecution team and judiciary for their work in securing the convictions.