The case of two black women, Maria Makgatho (45) and Lucia Ndlovu (34), allegedly murdered and fed to pigs by a white farmer and his workers, has sparked outrage in South Africa.
The BBC reported this.
The women were reportedly foraging for food on a farm near Polokwane in Limpopo province when they were shot dead in August. It is reported that their bodies were destroyed to hide traces of the crime. The question of whether the owner of the estate, Zachariah Johannes Olivier (60 years old), and his employees, Adrian de Wet (19 years old) and William Musor (50 years old), will be released on bail will be decided in court. .
Protests took place in front of the courthouse and protesters demanded that the suspects be denied bail. Walter Matole, Maria’s brother, told the BBC that the incident had exacerbated racial tensions between the country’s black and white communities, despite the end of apartheid 30 years ago.
The three men are also charged with the attempted murder of Ndlovu’s husband, Mabutho Ncube, who was at the farm with the women, and with illegal possession of a firearm. Ncube survived the attack on August 17 and reported the incident to the police, after which the decomposing bodies of his wife and Makgatho were discovered in the pigsty.
Matole recalled seeing a gruesome sight in the pigsty: the pigs had partially devoured his sister’s body. The Makgatho family, especially their four children, are going through difficult times. The eldest son, Ranti, shared the bitterness of his loss with the BBC:
“My mother died a painful death, she was a loving mother who did everything for us. We didn’t lack anything for her.”
The opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party called for the farm to be closed, saying there were risks to consumers after the discovery of the bodies.
Racial tensions in the country have increased recently, including the arrest of a farmer and his bodyguard in Mpumalanga accused of killing two men suspected of stealing sheep. The victims’ bodies were burned and the suspects remain in custody pending DNA testing.
Also on trial is the case of white farmer Christoffel Stoman, 70, accused of running over a six-year-old boy suspected of stealing an orange from his farm. The child’s mother witnessed the incident. Stoman faces charges of attempted murder and reckless driving, and prosecutors oppose his release on bail. Political parties are demanding the expropriation of Stoman’s farm in connection with the incident.
Previously, “Cursor” reported that the people of Italy were shocked by a man’s live confession of killing his mother.
