THE funeral service of the seven farm massacre victims was heartbreaking for mourners at Kestell Multi-purpose Hall in the Free State on Saturday, 23 July.
Family members and other mourners were inconsolable and some were taken to hospital after collapsing during the mass funeral service.
Social workers and paramedics had their hands full during the funeral service as they worked to comfort heartbroken mourners.
This after seven people were brutally murdered at Lismor farm outside Kestell in the Free State on Friday, 15 July.
The victims are Nokufa Monareng (30), Nomasondo Zulu (56), Lerato Moloi (33), Mothoduwa Moloi (36), Nomasontsha Topsy Maduna (43), as well as Binta Smith (55) and her son Rhudie Smith (17).
The postmortem report revealed that two victims were raped before being shot in the mouth.
Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform Thokozile Didiza said: “We need to do some amendments in our legislation. Our legislation is glorifying criminals over the victims. Murdering seven people on a farm is a serious threat in our agricultural economic development.
“I have been told that this is the second attack in a period of a year in the Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality’s area.
“We need to bring moral regeneration and social cohesion in communities. We need to know our neighbours. It will assist to know criminals and drug dealers,” said Didiza, speaking to Daily Sun after the funeral service.
Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela said high levels of drug dealing in the province contributed a lot to criminal activity.
“I have a strong belief that the accused were under the influence of drugs. I will engage with members of provincial legislature to come up with a plan to end drug dealing with immediate effect. We need to make our province crime-free. Those who have illegal firearms and are terrorising our people must know that we are coming for them,” said Ntombela.
The SunTeam has learnt that one of the victims, Rhudie Smith, was a rugby star at Retief High School in Kestell.
READ: 2 women raped, murdered
The affected families’ spokesman Lucky Skhosana said they will sleep with bleeding wounds in their hearts.
“This is an unforgettable trauma. We will never be healed. The accused must know that we won’t forgiven them. How are we going to raise the young kids of the deceased? The children are now orphans but the accused are eating proper breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Our Constitution is failing us. Criminals are so privileged compared to ordinary citizens who respect the law. Government is using our taxes to feed criminals and equip them with skills while the sons and daughters of the deceased are going to struggle to access education,” said Skhosana.
All the family members who were taken to local health facilities on Saturday are in a good state and they have been discharged.
