UPDATE | Donovan Marx: Fifth accused to be State witness for ‘premeditated’ farm attack - News24

One of the suspects arrested in connection with the horror farm attack on Donovan Marx will be a State witness.

This is according to provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Arthur Peter Adams, who said consultations between the State and the investigating team took place before all five accused appeared in the Ventersdorp Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

Adams said the detectives indicated that the man “wasn’t actively involved in the commission of the crime”, as much as he was “aware of what was happening – but that what he was aware of was also sketchy.”

“And that is not enough for the National Prosecuting Authority to put forward a strong case in relation to him,” Adams said following the appearance of the four other suspects.

Phindile Alex Nomngcayi, 30, Thomas Thabo Motlhangtlhong, 27, Mothoka Godfrey Mathipa, 56, and Mokhema Jan Maishoane, 53, face charges of attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, assault, as well as possession of guns and ammunition in what the State calls a “planned and premeditated offence.”

Marx, 50, was shot, stabbed and had both ears cut off at his Syferfontein farm near Ventersdorp in the North West last Wednesday.

The four men are also accused of assaulting farm worker Christopher Jinga, tying him up with cable ties while waiting for Marx to arrive. They then allegedly dragged Marx into the house and ransacked the property, stealing three firearms from a safe and fleeing in his bakkie.

According to the charge sheet, the men were found in possession of 222 live rounds of ammunition and several firearms.

The court heard that two firearms had their serial numbers filed off.

It was also revealed in court that Mathipa was previously convicted of robbery with aggravating circumstances in 1999. He was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.

Adams said police were confident they had gathered sufficient evidence since the attack on 28 October until the arrests.

The first two men were apprehended this past Saturday, three days after the violent attack.

Three others were arrested the following day in Promosa near Potchefstroom. During Sunday’s arrest, police seized four firearms linked to Marx’s attack, as well as clothing and jewellery.

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel, who attended proceedings, said farm attacks and “brutal torture” in cases like this could not be allowed to become “just simply a statistic.”

“That is why it’s important that the community came here today [Tuesday] to show that this is not acceptable. We can also use this occasion to tell President [Cyril] Ramaphosa that these kinds of things are going to happen if he does not take leadership,” Kriel said.

He called on Ramaphosa to also publicly condemn the struggle song “Kill the Boer.”

“It’s a chant that calls for ethnic violence against Afrikaners and farmers, and he is quiet. He was also quiet with regard to this specific incident,” Kriel said.

Daan Pretorius, who farms next to Marx, said it could not have happened to a “nicer person.”

“Donovan is such a gentleman, involved in his church, and a great neighbour. That is the last guy you would think something like this would happen to,” Pretorius said.

Pretorius said safety had to be the first priority for anyone farming in South Africa, and that without a close-knit community there was “no way of farming” in the country.

Pretorius, who returned to South Africa after living in the US for 27 years, said farmers were forced to spend whatever extra money they had on securing their premises.

“If you have a little bit of extra money, you spend it on your farm. You spend it on securing your premises, and I think it’s just great that we have a farm community here that look after ourselves,” he said.

The case was postponed to 13 November for bail proceedings, during which the State will oppose the men’s release.

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