The High Court in Bloemfontein has sentenced Bangile Dael to 22 years’ direct imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the murder of retired magistrate Pieter Christiaan Bester.
The court heard that Dael killed Bester at his smallholding in Glen, Bloemfontein, in January last year. At the time of the incident, Dael had been employed by the victim for about 17 years.
Bester died from severe head injuries sustained during the attack.
Free State National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane confirmed the sentence, saying Dael had admitted to the charge of murder.
“Bangile Dael has been sentenced to 22 years’ direct imprisonment by the High Court of South Africa, Free State Division, sitting in Bloemfontein, after pleading guilty to the murder of retired magistrate Pieter Christiaan Bester, who had been his employer for 17 years,” Senokoatsane said.
The conviction brings closure to a case that shocked the local community, given the long-standing working relationship between the accused and the victim.