Five arrested after South African farmer shot and tortured

South African police have apprehended five individuals in connection with a violent assault and torture of a farmer named Donovan Marx, 50, in Ventersdorp, North West province. The attack occurred during a home invasion on Wednesday, during which Marx was shot and stabbed, and had his ears cut off. The suspects, described as masked men armed with firearms, initially targeted a worker before demanding to know where Marx was.

Upon his return home, two suspects allegedly shot Marx and dragged him inside, tying him down and stabbing him. They subsequently ransacked the house, stole firearms, and escaped with Marx's van. Marx was rescued by his farm worker and rushed to the hospital, where surgeons were unable to save his ears. South African Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp denounced the attack, calling it "senseless and barbaric," while parliament's police committee chair Ian Cameron commended the swift arrests and called for a thorough investigation.

The five suspects, aged between 26 and 56, will face charges of house robbery, attempted murder, and illegal possession of firearms upon their appearance in court on Tuesday. Although such attacks on white farmers have been used by right-wing groups to claim genocide against white people in South Africa, these claims have been dismissed by all political parties.

However, US President Donald Trump has supported the notion and offered asylum to white Afrikaners. South Africa's latest crime statistics, from April to June 2026, do not provide specific figures for farm attacks but indicate that most crime victims, including those on farms, are black.