Three men sentenced to 30 years for brutal farm attack

Three men will serve lengthy prison sentences for a violent farm attack which occurred at Lorain Farm in Bluewater, near East London, last year.

In committing the crime, the trio had assaulted and attacked a farm owner and four employees, and made off with items to the value R2.2 million. 

A former co-accused was acquitted after the court accepted his version that he was a contracted e-hailing driver who merely transported the men, unaware of their criminal intentions.

At the High Court of South Africa, Eastern Cape Division in East London, Odwa Dyabana, 26, Luthando Ngangelizwe, 29, and Siseko Qhayiso, 31, were convicted and sentenced, having faced charges of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder, and multiple firearm-related offences. 

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Luxolo Tyali, said Ngangelizwe and Qhayiso were each sentenced to an effective 25 years’ imprisonment.

Dyabana received an additional sentence for culpable homicide and reckless driving, bringing his effective sentence to 30 years. All three were declared unfit to possess firearms.

“The court heard that the assailants arrived at the farm under the pretence of wanting to purchase dogs. After gaining the farm owner’s trust, they lured him to the kennels in his Toyota Land Cruiser. There, they produced firearms, tied him up, and returned to the farmhouse, where they continued with the robbery.

“The farm owner and four employees were assaulted, kidnapped, and held hostage. The attackers tortured the farm owner by binding him, placing him in a bathtub, running hot water, and threatening to dismember him with a chainsaw to force him to reveal the location of the safe keys.

“Unable to open the safes, the attackers used tools to dislodge them from the walls, loaded them into the stolen Land Cruiser, and fled the scene in a convoy that included the victim’s Toyota Hilux. The stolen items — including firearms, wedding rings, wristwatches, binoculars, and other valuables — were valued at over R2.2 million,” said Tyali.

The criminals were nabbed after being involved in a multi-vehicle collision on the N2 near Beacon Bay involving the Land Cruiser, a Toyota Quantum, and a VW Polo. 

“A woman sustained spinal injuries and later died in hospital. Fifteen others suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious. During the getaway, the safes fell on Qhayiso while the group was being pursued by ECO Scorpions security officers and the SAPS K9 Unit. Ngangelizwe fell from the back of the Land Cruiser and was arrested at the scene, while Dyabana was apprehended nearby while fleeing on foot. Qhayiso was arrested in February 2025,” said Tyali.

All three accused pleaded not guilty. 

Senior State Advocate Andile Nohiya led the prosecution and presented overwhelming evidence that secured the convictions.

In the argument for sentencing, he submitted that the offences were premeditated, brutal, and caused severe psychological and financial harm to the victims and the broader farming community.

Welcoming the outcome, the Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, said: “This sentence sends a strong message that violent crimes — especially those targeting vulnerable communities such as farmers and their employees — will not be tolerated. The NPA remains committed to ensuring that just served.”

chevon.booysen@inl.co.za