The traumatised families of the two women who were brutally murdered on a farm in Limpopo and their bodies fed to pigs face a further daunting task of raising funds for their burials.
The deceased, Mariah Makgato, 47 and her Zimbabwean neighbour, Lacodia Ndlovhu, 34 were fatally shot and fed to pigs at Onverwacht farm near Sebayeng village on the outskirts of Polokwane on August 17.
Pig farmer Zachariah Johannes Olivier (60), farm supervisor Andrian Rudolph de Wet (19), and employee William Musora (45), a Zimbabwean national, appeared in the
Mankweng Magistrates’ Court on Friday to apply for bail.
They face charges including two counts of premeditated murder, one count of attempted murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and defeating the ends of justice.
Ndlovu’s husband, Bruce
Ncube, who was shot during the encounter with the farmers, managed to flee and made his way to a nearby hospital to seek medical treatment.
Makgato and Ndlovu, who for many years lived in abject poverty, were regular scavengers of discarded food on this farm until their muders.
On this fateful day, they were accosted by Olivier and his accomplices, who allegedly shot and killed them.
The murder of the women has received widespread condemnation from civil society, human rights advocacy groups, politicians and the faith community.
But despite public sympathy, the families were unable to make ends meet ahead of the burial services.
By Friday midday, the Makgato family said they had not been able to provide a coffin ahead of Mariah’s scheduled burial at Kotishing informal settlement.
When they arrived at the Mankweng Magistrate’s Court, where they came face-to-face with the men who allegedly murdered their loved ones, their facial expressions confirmed hard-nosed anger and resentment.
Mariah’s brother, Walter Mathole said the death had devastated the family in
many ways.
Speaking to Sunday World during court adjournment, Mathole said things were falling apart for the indigent family.
“The costs implicated in the burial are just too heavy for us to carry. We are unable to make ends meet at the moment while we are waiting for good Samaritans to assist us in any way whatsoever.
“It doesn’t end there because my sister leaves behind young children who are going to need a mother who will take care of them,” said Mathole.
Ncube, who has been released from hospital, said the family had been forced to postpone the burial because there are still no funds to repatriate the body
to Bulawayo.
“I don’t know where to start because life in a foreign country has always been a struggle,” he said.
Advocate Kgaudi Morota, the chief executive officer of Black Forum South Africa, said he did not doubt that the killings of the two women were racially motivated.
“We are going to be here all the way to assist these families to ensure that justice prevails throughout the trial. These farm killings are all over the country and stringent measures need to be placed to curb it ,” said Morota.
Lawyers for the accused requested a postponement for the bail application, saying they were not ready as they were not furnished with sufficient details regarding the case.
A large police contingent had to contain a large crowd comprising members of civil society, politicians, government officials and members of the ANC, EFF and MK Party, who packed the court gallery.
When the accused made their way into the courtroom, some enraged members of the public dressed in MK Party colours expressed deep anger and resentment. “We don’t even want to see these killers,” said one.
Outside the court precinct, political parties were united in their condemnation of the
brutal killings, which they insisted were racially-motivated.
Magistrate Arshard Chaya granted the defence their
application for a postponement. The matter was postponed to September 10.
