Zimbabwean man survives deadly shooting in South Africa

The man who survived the deadly Limpopo shooting, where two women lost their lives at a farm, has recounted the harrowing experience when he escaped and left his wife gasping for life.

"The first shot was fired into the air. The second bullet hit me, third bullet hit the other woman who was with us (Mariah Makgato) and the fourth bullet hit my wife. I went down, and after a while, I went to check on my wife to see if she was alive," Mabutho Ndlovu spoke to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika after being discharged from hospital.

Ndlovu said he tried to lift and assist his wife, Kudzai, but he could not do much as he had been shot as well.

The injured man struggled to get to the main road to seek assistance and he was later assisted by an associate, who took him to the police station.

At the police station, an ambulance was called and Ndlovu was taken to hospital. He said while travelling to hospital, he noticed that his intestines where flowing from his stomach.

"When I was in the ambulance going to the hospital, they took off the T-shirt I was wearing. I had blood flowing out of my stomach and when I checked, it was flesh flowing from my abdomen. At hospital, they said they were taking me to theatre," he said.

While in hospital, he heard that police and emergency services had visited the farm but they did not get the shot women.

"After four to five days, while I was still in hospital, I then heard that the two women's bodies had been found in the pigsty. I did not expect that to happen. All this time, I thought my wife was in the women's ward in the hospital. That hurt me so much," said Ndlovu.

He said after the shooting, he noticed that Makgato was not moving and her body looked lifeless.

Earlier this week, IOL reported that Limpopo pig farmer, Zachariah Johannes Olivier, farm supervisor Andrian Rudolph de Wet, and a farm employee William Musora were remanded in custody after they were arrested for the murder of two Limpopo women.

Mariah Makgato, 47, and 34-year-old Zimbabwean national, Kudzai Ndlovu went to the Limpopo farm, accompanied by Ndlovu's husband where they were shot at. Only the husband, Ndlovu, survived the incident.

Ndlovu said members of the community often go the farm to collect the dumped foodstuffs.

The three accused men were charged with two counts premeditated murder, one count of attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition, defeating the ends of justice.

Musora faces an additional charge of being in South Africa illegally, according to Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, Limpopo spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

"It is alleged that on August 17, 2024, at a farm Onvervaght under Sebayeng policing area, after a Clover truck had dumped alleged expired or soon to expired goods, the two deceased and a surviving victim trespassed into the farm to collect the above goods," said Malabi-Dzhangi.

The NPA said Olivier and De Wet had planned to shoot any member of the community who trespasses into the farm.

"The accused proceeded to fire several shots at the members of community, killing two women and wounding the surviving male witness. The witness then crawled to the main road, received assistance and was then transported to the hospital," said Malabi-Dzhangi.

"The following day, accused number 3 (Musora), who is an employee at the farm, arrived at the farm and discovered the bodies of the deceased. He proceeded to report his discovery to accused one (Olivier) and accused two (De Wet)."

Subsequently, the three men allegedly proceeded to remove the two deceased bodies from where they had died and dumped them into pig stalls.

"The pigs then started consuming one of the deceased's body on the upper part. It is alleged that accused one (Olivier) cut the firearm used in the murder and disposed of it along the R80 road. The accused did not report the incident until the August 20," said Malabi-Dzhangi.

In the aftermath, police received information about the murder and attempted murder incident at the farm and the three accused men were arrested on Wednesday last week.

When the trio appeared in court on Friday, their matter was postponed to August 30 for profiling, while the three accused remain in custody.