The ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) says the incident in which two women in Limpopo were killed and thrown into a pigsty represents the worst form of gender-based violence.
The league said the murders committed two weeks ago were a disturbing reflection of the ongoing scourge of femicide that is plaguing the country.
Maria Makgato, 45, a South African, went missing after visiting the farm last Saturday, accompanied by a 35-year-old female foreign national.
It is alleged they were near the farmstead when they were accosted by two men, including the farmer, who reportedly shot them and then fed them to pigs. The two women were with a male companion who escaped and sought help at a nearby hospital.
The suspects were arrested after the discovery of the decomposed bodies of two women in a pigsty on a farm in Sebayeng, outside Mankweng last Tuesday.
Zachariah Olivier, 60, and his two employees, Adriaan de Wet, 19, and William Musoro, 45, appeared in the Mankweng magistrate’s court on Friday on two counts of murder, one of attempted murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and defeating the ends of justice. They will appear again in court on Friday for a formal bail application.
The league said it expected justice would be served swiftly and without leniency.
“As the ANCWL, we stand with the families of the victims during this unimaginable time of grief and offer our deepest condolences. We cannot begin to comprehend the pain and suffering that the families are enduring, and we extend our unwavering support to them,” the ANCWL said.
It said the incident underscored the urgent need for decisive action to curb violence against women and to ensure that the perpetrators of such heinous acts were brought to justice swiftly and without leniency.
“The brutal nature of these murders is indicative of the deep-rooted misogyny that continues to endanger the lives of women across the country. We cannot, and will not, accept a society where the lives of women are treated with such disregard.”
The league called on minister of agriculture John Steenhuisen to act swiftly through relevant regulatory measures to ensure that farm owners did not become a law unto themselves by creating no-go zones in farms.
“Our bill of rights cannot be undermined in this manner, especially as we celebrate 30 years of our hard-earned freedom. Women’s rights are human rights, and we will not allow them to be violated with impunity.”
TimesLIVE
Ernest Mabuza
www.timeslive.co.za
