Outrage has erupted across South Africa after two black women, Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, were allegedly shot and killed by a white farmer and his employees, and their bodies reportedly fed to pigs.
The shocking incident took place in August on a farm near Polokwane, in Limpopo Province, when the women were purportedly searching for food.
The farm’s owner, 60-year-old Zachariah Johannes Olivier, along with his workers Adrian de Wet, 19, and William Musora, 50, are accused of being responsible for the brutal murders.
According to allegations, the women’s bodies were left in a pigsty in an attempt to cover up the killings. Their decomposing remains were later discovered by police.
On Monday, a court in Polokwane began a hearing to decide whether the accused would be granted bail as they await their trial for murder.
The three men, who have yet to enter a formal plea, also face charges of attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm after allegedly shooting at Lucia Ndlovu’s husband, Mabutho Ncube. He managed to escape and survive the ordeal.
Protesters gathered outside the court, holding placards demanding that the accused be denied bail.
Inside the courtroom, families of both the victims and the accused were present, with emotions running high.
Magistrate Ntilane Felleng ruled that media coverage of the proceedings would be allowed in the public interest, before adjourning the bail hearing until November 6 to allow further investigations.
In the meantime, Olivier, de Wet, and Musora remain in custody.
Speaking to the press, Walter Mathole, the brother of Ms. Makgato, expressed how the incident has deepened the racial divide that still exists in rural South Africa, despite the formal end of apartheid three decades ago.
“This kind of violence just adds more fuel to the tension between black and white communities,” he said.
Mr. Ncube, the sole survivor of the attack, recounted how he narrowly escaped death on the evening of August 17. Crawling away after being shot at, he managed to call for medical help.
Days later, police uncovered the bodies of the two women in the pig enclosure. Mathole, who accompanied the officers during the discovery, described the traumatic scene of his sister’s partially eaten remains.
The tragedy has been particularly devastating for Ms. Makgato’s family, especially her four sons, aged between five and 22.
“My mum died a painful death. She was a loving mother who did everything for us,” her eldest son, Ranti Makgato, told the BBC through tears. “We lacked nothing because of her. I think I’ll sleep better at night if the alleged killers are denied bail.”
It is believed that the victims had gone to the farm seeking food from expired or nearly expired produce that was sometimes left out for the pigs.
The opposition Economic Freedom Fighters party has since called for the closure of the farm, citing the potential health hazards posed by its products.
“The EFF cannot stand by while products from this farm continue to be sold as they pose a danger to consumers,” the party said in a statement following the discovery of the bodies.
The South African Human Rights Commission has strongly condemned the killings and called for urgent anti-racism dialogues between communities affected by these ongoing racial tensions.
Meanwhile, organizations representing mostly white farmers argue that farming communities are facing heightened risks in a country plagued by high crime rates, though no data suggests that farmers are specifically targeted more than others.
The Limpopo case is not the only recent incident fueling racial tensions. In Mpumalanga Province, a farmer and his security guard were arrested in August for the alleged murder of two men accused of stealing sheep from a farm.
The bodies of the victims were reportedly burned beyond recognition, and DNA analysis is ongoing.
Another case sparking outrage involves Christoffel Stoman, a 70-year-old white farmer from Western Cape province, who is accused of driving over a six-year-old boy, breaking both of his legs, after the child allegedly picked up an orange on his farm.
The child’s mother, who witnessed the incident, was reportedly walking with her son past the farm on their way to town when the tragedy occurred.
Stoman is now facing charges of attempted murder and reckless driving, with the state opposing his bail application.
The case has drawn calls from the African Transformation Movement and the Pan Africanist Congress for the expropriation of Stoman’s farm.
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed that the state is taking a firm stance against the farmer’s bail request, underscoring the gravity of the case.
As these cases unfold, they serve as a painful reminder of the simmering racial tensions that continue to haunt South Africa’s rural communities, despite decades of progress towards equality.
