South African police have arrested five people in connection with the brutal attack on cattle farmer Donovan Marx, 50, who was shot, stabbed and had his ears cut off during a robbery at his farm in Ventersdorp last Wednesday.
Police said masked men armed with guns first confronted a farm worker who was mowing the lawn. They allegedly tied his hands and feet with cable ties and demanded to know where Marx was.
When Marx returned home, two suspects allegedly shot him in the upper body before dragging him inside, tying him up and stabbing him. The attackers searched the property, took three firearms from a safe and fled in Marx's van.
The farm worker later freed himself and called for help. Marx was taken to hospital, where he remains. According to local media, surgeons were unable to save his ears and he may require prosthetic replacements.
Marx's family welcomed the arrests but said the legal process must now take its course. Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp condemned the attack as a “senseless and barbaric” act, while Ian Cameron, chair of parliament's police committee, called for a strong and properly investigated case.
The suspects, aged between 26 and 56, are due to appear in local courts on Tuesday. They face charges including house robbery, attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
The attack has renewed debate over violence against white farmers. Right-wing groups have used such cases to promote claims of a genocide against white people in South Africa, but those claims have been widely discredited and rejected by political parties, including those representing Afrikaners.
Crime statistics covering April to June 2026 do not specify the number of attacks on farms and recorded one robbery in a rural area. Police data also indicate that most crime victims in South Africa, including on farms, are black.
Sources: BBC News World.