Mooi River farmworkers beaten, dumped in dam

Three Mooi River farmworkers are living in fear after they were severely beaten and thrown into a dam ‘to die’.

The incident has raised questions about the treatment and rights of farmworkers, 30 years into South Africa’s democracy.

The workers, accused of theft, were brutally beaten and tortured, allegedly by staff members of a private security company contracted by the farm.

One of the victims, Bheki Mazibuko, who was admitted to Northdale Hospital with broken ribs, has gone into hiding after his attackers reportedly inquired about his whereabouts while he was in the hospital.

“As I was lying in hospital, they kept calling my sister, asking where I was,” he says.

Mazibuko’s ordeal, along with that of his two co-workers, Elliot Bhengu and Sbonga Mlotshwa, began when guards from a security company raided their homes early on Sunday.

“Everyone was asleep, and as usual, the gates were locked. Before I knew it, six armed security guards burst into my bedroom and pointed guns at me. I later realised they had broken the gate’s padlock to get onto the property.

“They asked me about the grass cutters that were stolen from the farm. When I told them I knew nothing about the brush cutters, they hit me on the head and chest with the butts of their guns. They handcuffed me and threw me into the back of their van,” he says.

Mazibuko alleged that the guards drove to the nearby Mpofana River, where they continued to assault him.

“After beating me with the butt of their gun several times, they covered my head with a plastic bag and threw me into the water while I was still handcuffed. When they realised that I was about to pass out, they dragged me out.

“As I was gasping for air, they asked me about the brush cutters again. When I told them I knew nothing about the items, they repeated the same thing – pulling a plastic bag over my head and throwing me into the water,” says Mazibuko, who lives in Mooi River’s Bruntville township.

After the torture, the guards took Bhengu and drove to the homes of the other two co-workers, who were allegedly subjected to the same brutal treatment as Mazibuko.

“After assaulting Elliot and Sbonga, they threw us into the back of the van and drove to a nearby dam, where they continued to beat us.

“When they realised that we were badly injured, they removed the handcuffs and threw us into the dam. I heard one of them say, ‘Let’s shoot them’,” Mazibuko says.

Read the full article in The Witness.