By Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro
The case of two black women who were allegedly shot and fed to pigs by a white farmer and two of his workers has caused outrage in South Africa.
Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, were allegedly looking for food on the farm near Polokwane in South Africa’s northern Limpopo province in August when they were shot.
Their bodies were then alleged to have been given to pigs in an apparent attempt to dispose of the evidence.
A court has begun hearing whether to grant bail to farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier, 60, and his employees Adrian de Wet, 19, and William Musora, 50, ahead of their murder trial.
The three men have not yet been asked to enter a plea in court, which will happen when the trial begins at a later date.
Protesters demonstrated outside court in Polokwane, holding placards demanding that the suspects be denied bail.
Inside, the courtroom was packed with families of the victims and the accused – and magistrate Ntilane Felleng agreed to an application for the proceedings to be filmed by the media, saying it was in the public interest to do so.
After several hours, she adjourned the bail hearing until 6 November to allow for further investigations – so the suspects remain in custody.
Earlier, Ms Makgato’s brother Walter Mathole told the BBC the incident had further exacerbated racial tension between black and white people in South Africa.
This is especially rife in rural areas of the country, despite the end of the racist system of apartheid 30 years ago.
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The three men in court in Polokwane also face charges of attempted murder for shooting at Ms Ndlovu’s husband , who was with the women at the farm – as well as possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Mabutho Ncube survived the ordeal on the evening of Saturday 17 August – and crawled away and managed to call a doctor for help.
He says he reported the incident to police and officers found the decomposing bodies of his wife and Ms Makgato in the pigsty several days later.
Mr Mathole said he was with officers and saw a horrific sight inside the pig enclosure: his sister’s body which had been partly eaten by the animals.
The group had reportedly gone to the farm in search of edible food from consignments of recently expired or soon-to-be-expired produce. These were sometimes left at the farm and given to the pigs.
Makgato family Maria MakgatoMakgato family
Maria Makgato was a single mother of four sons aged between five and 22 years old
The family of Ms Makgato say they are devastated by her killing – especially her four sons, aged between 22 and five years old.
“My mum died a painful death, she was a loving mother who did everything for us. We lacked nothing because of her,” Ranti Makgato, the oldest of her sons, tearfully told the BBC.
“I think I’ll sleep better at night if the alleged killers are denied bail,” he added.
The opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party has said the farm should be shut down.
“The EFF cannot stand by while products from this farm continue to be sold as they pose a danger to consumers,” it said after the bodies were found.
The South African Human Rights Commission has condemned the killings and called for anti-racism dialogues between affected communities.
People packed into the courtroom in Polokwane, South Africa – Wednesday 2 October 2024
The courtroom in Polokwane was packed for the case that has exacerbated racial tensions
Groups representing farmers, who are often white, say farming communities feel under attack in a country with a high rate of crime – though there is no evidence farmers are at any greater risk than anyone else.
There have been two other incidents that have ratcheted up racial tension recently.
In the eastern province of Mpumalanga, a farmer and his security guard were arrested in August for the alleged murder of two men at a farm in Laersdrift near the small town of Middleburg.
It is alleged the two men, whose bodies were burnt beyond recognition, were accused of stealing sheep.
The accused remain in custody while the ashes undergo DNA analysis.
The most recent case involves a 70-year old white farmer who is alleged to have driven over a six-year-old boy, breaking both of his legs, for stealing an orange on his farm.
The bail hearing for Christoffel Stoman, from Lutzville in Western Cape province, is ongoing.
The court has heard that mother and son were walking past the farm as they made their way to town to buy groceries.
It is alleged the six-year-old stopped to pick up an orange that was on the ground – and the mother watched on in horror as the farmer allegedly mowed him down.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the farmer was facing two counts of attempted murder and reckless driving.
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila told the BBC that the state was opposing the accused’s application for bail.
Two political parties – the African Transformation Movement and the Pan Africanist Congress – are calling for the expropriation of Mr Stoman’s farm following the incident.
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