Judge Soma Naidoo, on 12 November, rescheduled the judgment to 10 December and said she needed more time to deliberate on the evidence presented in court by the state advocate, Antoinette Ferreira, and defence advocate Jacques Potgieter. 

Mettler is accused of stealing the painting which is said to be worth R8 million and allegedly tried to cover his tracks by removing the government's serial code which was placed on the bottom left. However, during his testimony on 27 October, Magashule testified in court that he gave his staff, including Mettler, his personal belongings. He said he still does not know if Pierneef is an individual or a painting.  

Mettler was charged and ordered to appear in court after the much-valued painting was seized by the Hawks. In 2019, the Hawks in the Free State instituted charges - contravening Section 32 (13) of the National Heritage Resources Act - against him. Hawks spokesperson, Lynda Steyn, previously told OFM News that charges against Mettler emerged after he allegedly made false statements in an affidavit.

 OFM News