A 34-year-old gardener who admitted to killing a man on his smallholding on the outskirts of Gqeberha was sentenced on Tuesday in the Port Elizabeth High Court to life in prison.
Ralton Koetaan claimed in court that he got paid for offering sexual favours to the 69-year-old victim, Jean Lombaard who lived alone on Hokaai farm near Rocklands.
Lombaard met Koetaan, who worked for a garden service company, in 2016.
Koetaan told the court that he did regular garden maintenance on Lombaard's farm and only in 2018, when he once asked to use the bathroom, did their relationship turn into a "sex for money arrangement".
In his guilty plea in February this year, Koetaan described their first encounter where he was asked to do things in exchange for money.
Koetaan claimed that he got paid R620 on the first day.
He said it became a regular occurrence for which he got paid, never less than R500.
On 26 April 2019 Koetaan arrived on the smallholding for their regular arrangement, when Lombaard informed him that he did not have money to pay.
In his plea, Koetaan said he became angry as he had no money for transport and that walking home would take him 10 hours.
Koetaan, by his own admission, went to the storeroom and came back with a slasher's handle which he used to hit Lombaard on the head multiple times.
He also tied him up with an electric cord, before stealing his pistol, ammunition and cell phone.
He admitted to stealing a bicycle from the farm which belonged to one of Lombaard's employee's who discovered Lombard's body.
Police Spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu says Koetaan was sentenced to life in prison for the murder, 15-year for aggravated robbery, 15-years for the unlawful possession of ammunition and three years for theft.
She says the sentences will run concurrently.
