The case of Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, two Black women allegedly shot and fed to pigs by a white farmer and his two workers, has caused widespread outrage in South Africa.
Makgato, a South African, and her Zimbabwean friend Ndlovu were reportedly searching for food on a farm near Polokwane in Limpopo province when they were killed in August.
Their bodies were allegedly disposed of to cover up the crime. The court is currently determining whether to grant bail to the farm owner, Zachariah Johannes Olivier, 60, and his employees, Adrian de Wet, 19, and William Musora, 50, who are awaiting trial for murder.
The three suspects have not yet entered a plea, which will take place when the trial commences.
Protests have erupted outside the court, with demonstrators demanding that the accused be denied bail. Walter Mathole, Makgato’s brother, told the BBC that the incident has intensified racial tensions between Black and white communities in rural South Africa, despite the official end of apartheid 30 years ago.
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The men are also facing charges of attempted murder for shooting at Mabutho Ncube, Ndlovu’s husband, who was with the women during the attack.
Ncube survived by crawling away and calling for help. He later reported the incident to the police, who discovered the bodies of Makgato and Ndlovu in a pigsty.
Mathole, who was present when the bodies were found, recalled the distressing sight of his sister’s body, partially eaten by the animals. The group had gone to the farm seeking food from expired produce often discarded for the pigs.
Makgato’s family, particularly her four sons aged between five and 22, is devastated by her death. Her eldest son, Ranti Makgato, expressed his grief, saying, “My mum died a painful death. She was a loving mother who did everything for us. I’ll only rest easy if the killers are denied bail.”
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party has called for the farm to be shut down, arguing that it poses a risk to consumers following the discovery of the bodies.
Racial tensions have also been stirred by other incidents, including the recent arrest of a farmer and his security guard in Mpumalanga for the alleged murder of two men suspected of stealing sheep.
The victims’ bodies were burned beyond recognition, and the suspects remain in custody pending DNA tests.
In another case, 70-year-old white farmer Christoffel Stoman is accused of running over a six-year-old boy who allegedly took an orange from his farm. The boy’s mother witnessed the incident. Stoman faces charges of attempted murder and reckless driving, with the prosecution opposing his bail.
Two political parties, the African Transformation Movement and the Pan Africanist Congress, are calling for Stoman’s farm to be expropriated in response to the incident.
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