South Africa has been plunged into chaos and confusion as news emerged, Wednesday, that a white farmer and his workers reportedly shot and killed two women, and fed their corpses to pigs!
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, the women-Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, were reportedly searching for food on a farm near Polokwane in Limpopo province when they were shot in August.
As if the brutal murder was not enough, the assailants then fed their bodies fed the women’s bodies to pigs in a desperate attempt to conceal the brutal murder.
The BBC further reported that a court will soon decide whether to grant bail to 60-year-old Zachariah Johannes Olivier, the farm owner, and his two employees, Adrian de Wet, 19, and William Musora, 50, as they await trial for murder. But none of the accused has entered a formal plea.
According to the BBC, it was complete chaos outside the court as angry placard-wielding protesters demonstrated wildly seeking justice and asking the court to deny the suspects bail.
Magistrate Ntilane Felleng granted permission for media coverage of the trial, citing public interest in the case.
Families of the victims as well as the accused reportedly filled the courtroom filling as Magistrate Felleng adjourned bail hearing to November 6, 2024, to allow for further investigations.
The three suspects will remain in custody till then.
Makgato’s brother, Walter Mathole, told the BBC that the gruesome murder has stoked the fire of racial tensions between black and white communities, particularly in rural areas.
Although it is 30 years since apartheid ended in South Africa, passage of time has not stopped racial divisions from deepening in the rainbow nation.
The three accused also face charges of attempted murder for allegedly shooting at Ndlovu’s husband, Mabutho Ncube, who escaped death by whiskers.
Ncube said he reported the incident to the police, who later found the decomposed bodies of his wife and Makgato in the farm’s pigsty.
Protesters held up placards outside the courtroom in Polokwane demanding that bail be denied. Photo: BBC
According to the BBC, the incident has devastated the families of the victims, especially Makgato’s four sons, who range in age from five to 22.
Her eldest son, Ranti Makgato, tearfully told the BBC, “My mum died a painful death, she was a loving mother who did everything for us. We lacked nothing because of her.
“I think I’ll sleep better at night if the alleged killers are denied bail.”
South Africa’s opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, has called for the farm to be shut down, declaring, “The EFF cannot stand by while products from this farm continue to be sold as they pose a danger to consumers.”
The South African Human Rights Commission condemned the killings and urged for anti-racism dialogues to heal affected communities.