The Zimbabwean national, Mabutho Bruce Ncube, 47, who survived death by a whisker when two women were fatally shot and fed to pigs at a Limpopo farm, remembers vividly the traumatic incident on August 17.
It was the day he lost his wife, 34-year-old Kudzai Lucia Ndlovu, who is also a Zimbabwean.
Their neighbour, Mariah Makgato, 47, was also killed at the Onvervaght pig farm near Sebayeng village outside Polokwane following the senseless attack.
They had gone there to harvest expired dairy products.
Zachariah Johannes Olivier, Adrian Rudolph de Wet, and Zimbabwean employee William Musora confronted them.
Premeditated murder
One of the men allegedly opened fire, killing the two women. Ncube managed to escape.
The three men are facing charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and defeating the ends of justice.
Musora is facing an additional charge of contravening the Immigration Act for being in the country illegally.
During an interview with journalists in front of the Polokwane regional court, Ncube claimed that the first shot fired into the air initially alarmed them.
The second one hit him, the third struck Makgato, and the fourth shot hit Ndlovu.
“It was a terrifying experience starring at death. After a few minutes, I returned to the spot where the shooting took place,” Ncube recounted these harrowing details after he had just been discharged from the hospital.
“My wife was lying unconscious. I tried to lift her up, but because of the injury I sustained, I just couldn’t manage.
“I managed to crawl towards the main road, where I was assisted by someone who took me to the police station.”
Intestines protruding from the stomach
He continued: “Upon arrival at the police [station], an ambulance came and took me to the hospital.
“While I was in the ambulance, I noticed that my intestines were protruding from the stomach. I was bleeding profusely and was admitted to the theatre ward.
“After five days following my hospitalisation, I heard that two lifeless bodies of women were found at the pig farm.
“I automatically knew that they were referring to my wife and our neighbour, even though I didn’t expect them to die.”
Olivier, De Wet and Musora appeared in the Polokwane regional court on Wednesday and they were all remanded in police custody.
Their bail application did not go as planned, and the court cited a pending decision on an application the accused made to the high court in Polokwane.
Magistrate Ntilane Felleng referred the matter back to the Mankweng magistrate’s court for a bail application on November 6.
