A Sutherland man, Abraham Faro, has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for the murder of his wife, Beth Pieterse. Faro, 60, was found guilty in the Sutherland Regional Court after a six-year investigation.

Police were called to Ekkraal Farm in October 2020, where Faro initially claimed his wife had fallen, but blood evidence and a post-mortem revealed she had been assaulted with a blunt object.

Col. Cherelle Ehlers says during the trial, it emerged that Faro repeatedly lied to police and attempted to clean the crime scene.

Ehlers says the conviction provides closure to one of the region’s long-standing murder cases.