The case of two Black women allegedly shot and fed to pigs by a white farmer and his workers has sparked outrage in South Africa.
Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, were reportedly seeking food on a farm near Polokwane in Limpopo province in August when they were shot. It is alleged that their bodies were disposed of by being fed to pigs.
A court is set to determine whether farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier, 60, and his employees Adrian de Wet, 19, and William Musora, 50, will be granted bail as they await trial for murder.
The men have yet to enter pleas, which will occur at the start of the trial. They also face charges of attempted murder for shooting at Ms. Ndlovu’s husband, Mabutho Ncube, who survived and managed to report the crime.
Ncube recounted how he crawled away from the scene on the evening of August 17 and sought help. Days later, police discovered the decomposing bodies of his wife and Ms. Makgato in the pigsty.
Walter Mathole, Ms. Makgato’s brother, described witnessing the horrific sight of his sister’s partly eaten remains. The group had reportedly gone to the farm to look for discarded food intended for pigs.
The family of Ms. Makgato, including her four sons, are devastated. Her eldest son, Ranti Makgato, expressed his heartbreak, saying, “My mum died a painful death… I think I’ll sleep better at night if the alleged killers are denied bail.”
The case has intensified racial tensions in South Africa, particularly in rural areas where divisions between Black and white communities persist, despite apartheid’s end 30 years ago.
Protests outside court hearings have called for the suspects to be denied bail, with the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party demanding the farm be shut down, stating, “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 has condemned the killings and called for anti-racism dialogues.
However, farmer groups argue that farming communities feel vulnerable in a nation with high crime rates, although there is no evidence that farmers face greater risk than others.
This case is one of several recent incidents inflaming racial tensions. In Mpumalanga, a farmer and his security guard were arrested in August for allegedly murdering two men suspected of sheep theft. Their burned remains were found, and DNA tests are underway.
Additionally, a white farmer in the Western Cape is accused of driving over a six-year-old boy, breaking both his legs, for allegedly stealing an orange.
The bail hearing for Christoffel Stoman, the accused farmer, is ongoing. The boy’s mother watched in horror as her son was allegedly run over while they were walking to town.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has opposed bail for Stoman, and political groups like the African Transformation Movement and the Pan Africanist Congress are calling for his farm to be expropriated following the incident.
Source-BBC
