The case involving two black women, Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, who were allegedly shot and fed to pigs by a white farmer and two of his workers, has sparked outrage in South Africa.
Makgato, a South African national, and her Zimbabwean friend Ndlovu were reportedly looking for food on a farm near Polokwane in Limpopo province when they were shot dead in August.
Their bodies were allegedly disposed of in an attempt to eliminate evidence. A court is set to decide whether to grant bail to the farm owner, Zachariah Johannes Olivier, 60, and his employees, Adrian de Wet, 19, and William Musora, 50, as they await their murder trial.
The three men have not yet entered a plea in court, which will occur when the trial begins at a later date.
Protests have taken place outside the court, with demonstrators calling for the suspects to be denied bail.
Walter Mathole, Makgato’s brother, told the BBC that the incident has heightened racial tensions between black and white communities in South Africa, particularly in rural areas, despite the end of apartheid 30 years ago.
The three men in court in Polokwane face charges of attempted murder for shooting at Ndlovu’s husband, Mabutho Ncube, who was with the women at the farm, as well as possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Ncube survived the attack on August 17 by crawling away and calling for medical help. He reported the incident to the police, who later found the decomposing bodies of his wife and Makgato in the pigsty.
Mathole recounted that he was with the officers when he encountered a horrifying scene inside the pig enclosure: his sister’s body, which had been partially consumed by the animals.
The group had gone to the farm seeking edible food from expired produce, which was sometimes left for the animals.
Makgato’s family is devastated by her killing, particularly her four sons, who range in age from five to 22 years old. Ranti Makgato, the oldest of her sons, told BBC:
My mum died a painful death, she was a loving mother who did everything for us. We lacked nothing because of her. I think I’ll sleep better at night if the alleged killers are denied bail.
The opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party called for the farm to be shut down, stating that it cannot allow products from the farm to continue being sold due to the danger they pose to consumers following the discovery of the bodies.
Recent incidents have heightened racial tensions, including the arrest of a farmer and his security guard in Mpumalanga for the alleged murder of two men accused of sheep theft.
The bodies were burned beyond recognition, and the accused remain in custody while DNA analysis is conducted.
Another case involves a 70-year-old white farmer, Christoffel Stoman, who is accused of driving over a six-year-old boy who allegedly stole an orange from his farm. The boy’s mother witnessed the incident.
Stoman faces charges of attempted murder and reckless driving, with the National Prosecuting Authority opposing his bail application.
Two political parties – the African Transformation Movement and the Pan Africanist Congress – are calling for the expropriation of Stoman’s farm following this incident.
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