POLOKWANE, South Africa – 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, 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.
The three men in court in Polokwane also face charges of attempted murder for shooting at 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 Makgato in the pigsty several days later.
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.
The family of 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.
