Karoo Farmer Convicted of Trafficking and Rape Hires Cat Matlala’s Lawyer
- Convicted Karoo farmer Louis Lategan hired a new advocate days before his sentencing, causing a three-week postponement at the Makhanda High Court
- Lategan was found guilty on 21 of 22 charges, including trafficking six young women to his farm and raping three of them
- The farmer faces a possible life sentence when proceedings resume on 12 October 2026
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EASTERN CAPE — The sentencing of convicted Karoo farmer Louis Lategan has been pushed back by three weeks after he appointed a new legal representative, just days before his scheduled court appearance.
Lategan had been due to appear before the Makhanda High Court on Monday, 21 September 2026, but the matter was postponed to 12 October 2026 to allow his newly appointed counsel to be placed on record.
Lategan appoints Matlala's advocate
The farmer has retained Advocate Annelene van den Heever, who is currently defending Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala on attempted murder charges in the Johannesburg High Court. Van den Heever confirmed to IOL News that she is now acting on Lategan's behalf, and that the delay was necessary for her to formally assume her role before proceedings could resume.
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Judge Judith Roberson convicted the 42-year-old Lategan last week on 21 of the 22 charges brought against him. He was found guilty of trafficking six young women who travelled to his farm in the Xamdeboo, formerly Aberdeen, district between 2020 and 2023, and of raping three of them.
He was acquitted on two additional rape charges but convicted of assaulting those women. A separate rape charge involving a minor was withdrawn after the State closed its case.
Women believed they were hired as au pairs
The six women, aged between 18 and 24, had struggled to find work after leaving school. They travelled hundreds of kilometres to Lategan's farm under the impression they had been employed to care for his two children as au pairs.
State advocate Nickie Turner told the court that Lategan allegedly placed a drug in the women's drinks, after which they woke in his bed with no memory of events. Lategan denied the allegations, insisting the relationships were consensual.
The court also convicted him of three counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm against children aged 11, 12 and 13, two counts relating to adult farm workers, and two counts of unlawful possession of ammunition.
One of the six women died by suicide in February 2022. A second gave birth to Lategan's child, and a third lost a pregnancy while on the farm.
Life imprisonment a possibility
The State has also indicated it will seek to have Lategan's name listed on the National Register for Sex Offenders.
Lategan handed himself over to police in Xamdeboo on 3 July 2023 and has remained in custody since.
SA farmer convicted in the US
Previously, Briefly News reported a South African man from KwaZulu-Natal who was arrested in the United States on child pornography charges has pleaded guilty. Reports from the US Attorney General of the Northern District of New York, Meyer and is expected to be sentenced in August 2026. If sentenced under the charges, Meyer could face between five and 20 years behind bars.
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Source: Briefly News
