South Africa farmers jailed for coffin abuse

Two white farmers in South Africa who forced a black man into a coffin have been sentenced to jail for more than 10 years each.

Theo Martins Jackson and Willem Oosthuizen were convicted in August for attempted murder and kidnapping.

They accused Victor Mlotshwa of trespassing on their land, beat him up, made him get into a coffin and threatened to burn him alive.

Oosthuizen was jailed for 11 years and Jackson was jailed for 14 years.

Part of their sentence is also for assaulting the only witness in an attempt to stop him from testifying.

The sentencing of Theo Jackson and Willem Oosthuizen to prison has sparked a huge reaction in South Africa.

The judge looked visibly angry as she explained that throughout the trial the accused showed “no remorse” for what they did.

For many – to watch on live television, a black female judge sentencing white males for a racist attack on a black young man – is a sign that things are changing in this tormented nation.

Twenty-three years after the end of apartheid, some will see it as a sign that the country is slowly coming of age.