Two white South African farmers have been sentenced to up to 23 years in prison for murdering a black teenager who they accused of stealing about 80 rand ($8) worth of sunflowers.

Key points: Two white farmers found guilty of murder, kidnapping, intimidation and theft

Two white farmers found guilty of murder, kidnapping, intimidation and theft The victim, 15-year-old Matlhomola Mosweu, was pushed from a moving vehicle

The victim, 15-year-old Matlhomola Mosweu, was pushed from a moving vehicle Violent protests erupted, with residents setting white people's homes on fire

The death of 15-year-old Matlhomola Mosweu in April 2017 caused outrage in a country where deep racial divisions persist 25 years after the end of white minority apartheid rule.

The teenager was killed after he was thrown from a moving vehicle.

The two defendants, Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte, were found guilty in October last year of murder, kidnapping, intimidation, theft and pointing of a firearm.

They have been dubbed "sunflower killers" by local media.

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North West High Court Judge Ronnie Hendricks said in his sentencing that Mosweu's murder was not planned nor premeditated, but the accused acted recklessly.

"Murder is undoubtedly the most serious offence that can be committed," Mr Hendricks said.

"It cannot ignore that the community revolted as a result of this incident."

Violent protests erupted over the death of Mosweu in the farming community of Coligny, about 200 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg, with residents setting ablaze homes and businesses belonging to white people.

Doorewaard will serve 18 years in prison, including 15 for murder, while Schutte will serve 23 years, with 20 of those years for murder.

Both got three years for kidnapping, two for intimidation, one year for theft and two years for pointing of a firearm.

Judge Hendricks said some of the sentences would run concurrently.

A hillside dotted with crosses is crowned with the words "Plaas Morde" — farm murders. ( Foreign Correspondent: Alex Barry )

The racially-tinged murders of white South African farmers have been the focus of recent media attention, but there are disputes about the scale of the figures.

While violent crime is a huge problem in South Africa, the vast majority of victims are poor and black. Of 20,000 murders in the last recorded year, 46 were white people killed on farms, according to police data.

Australia's Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton sparked controversy last year when he said white farmers were being "persecuted" and he wanted to look at whether they could come to Australia on humanitarian visas.

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"People do need help and they need help from a civilised country like ours," he said in March last year.

South Africa demanded a retraction from Mr Dutton, saying it was offended by his comments, while the Greens said his remarks were "racist".

The convictions and heavy sentences were unusual in South Africa.

In 2017, two white farmers were jailed for up to 14 years for attempted murder, assault and kidnapping after they were filmed pushing a wailing black man into a coffin.

Economic Freedom Fighters, or EFF, which describes itself as a radical and militant economic emancipation movement, welcomed the jail terms for Mosweu's killers but said it expected life sentences to be handed down.

Violent crime in South African farming communities has stirred racial tensions and protests.

Black people comprise 80 percent of the 54 million population but most of its wealth remains in the hands of white people, who make up about 8 percent.

ABC/Reuters