The violent incident occurred last Wednesday when fifty-year-old Donovan Marx was ambushed at his North West province residence, where he was shot, stabbed, and subjected to the severe mutilation of his ears. The assailants ransacked the property to steal three firearms from a safe and escaped in the victim's van, leaving behind a tied-up farm worker who eventually broke free to summon emergency help. Surgeons were unable to reattach Marx's severed ears, leaving him hospitalized and facing the prospect of prosthetic replacements. Five suspects were captured over the weekend and will face formal prosecution for the violent raid.
Key points
The five suspects face formal charges including attempted murder, house robbery, and ille…: The five suspects face formal charges including attempted murder, house robbery, and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
A farm worker who was tied up during the raid managed to escape and summon emergency assi…: A farm worker who was tied up during the raid managed to escape and summon emergency assistance.
Claims by right-wing figures alleging targeted genocide are contradicted by data showing…: Claims by right-wing figures alleging targeted genocide are contradicted by data showing most South African crime victims are black.
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South African police have arrested five people in connection with a brutal attack on a cattle farmer, who was assaulted and tortured in what has been described as a "senseless and barbaric" act.
Donovan Marx, 50, was attacked during a house robbery on his farm in Ventersdorp, a small town in South Africa's North West province, last Wednesday.
Marx was ambushed as he returned home, shot and stabbed and had his ears cut off in the horrific ordeal, police said.
All five of his alleged attackers were arrested over the weekend, a move welcomed by Marx's wife and family.
They added that the "legal process must [now] take its course".
The horrific attack has caused widespread outrage in a country which is used to high levels of violence.
Police last week explained how the attack on Mark happened.
A group of masked men armed with guns approached a worker at Mark's house as he was mowing the lawn, they said in a statement.
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