South Africa is outraged by the bodies of women found in the pigsty

The case of two black women who were allegedly shot and fed to pigs by a white farmer and two of his workers has sparked outrage in South Africa.

Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, were reportedly foraging for food on the farm near Polokwane in South Africa's northern Limpopo province in August when they were shot.

Their bodies were allegedly given to pigs, apparently in an attempt to destroy the evidence.

A court is now set to decide whether farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier, 60, and his associates Adrian de Wet, 19, and William Musora, 50, will be granted bail ahead of their murder trial.

The three men have not yet been asked to enter a plea in court, which will occur later in the hearing.

At previous hearings, protesters demonstrated outside the court and demanded that the suspects be denied bail.

Ms Makgato's brother Walter Mathole told the BBC the incident had further exacerbated racial tensions between blacks and whites in South Africa.

This is particularly prevalent in rural areas of the country, despite the end of the racist system of apartheid 30 years ago.

The three men on trial in Polokwane also face attempted murder for shooting at Ms Ndlovu's husband, who was with the women on the farm, and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

Mabutho Ncube survived the ordeal on Saturday evening, August 17, crawled away and managed to call a doctor for help.

He says he reported the incident to police and a few days later officers found the decomposing bodies of his wife and Ms Makgato in the pigsty.

Mr Mathole said he was with officials and saw a horrific sight in the pig pen: his sister's body, partially eaten by the animals.

The group was reportedly at the farm searching for edible food from shipments of recently expired or soon-to-be-expired products. These were sometimes left on the farm and given to the pigs.

Ms Makgato's family say they are devastated by her murder – particularly her four sons aged between 22 and five.

“My mother died a painful death, she was a loving mother who did everything for us. Because of her, we lacked for nothing,” Ranti Makgato, the eldest of her sons, told the BBC in tears.

“I think I will sleep better at night if the suspected murderers are denied bail,” he added.

The opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party called for the farm to be closed.

“The EFF cannot stand idly by while products from this farm continue to be sold as they pose a danger to consumers,” it said after the bodies were found.

The South African Human Rights Commission has condemned the killings and called for anti-racism dialogues between the affected communities.

Groups representing farmers, who are often white, say farming communities feel under attack in a country with high crime rates – even though there is no evidence that farmers are at greater risk than anyone else.

There have been two other recent incidents that have heightened racial tensions.

In the eastern province of Mpumalanga, a farmer and his security guard were arrested in August for the suspected murder of two men on a farm in Laersdrift, near the town of Middleburg.

The two men, whose bodies were burned beyond recognition, are accused of stealing sheep.

The defendants remain in custody while the ashes are subjected to DNA analysis.

The latest case involves a 70-year-old white farmer who allegedly ran over a six-year-old boy, breaking both of his legs, because he stole an orange from his farm.

The bail hearing for Christoffel Stoman from Lutzville in the Western Cape is ongoing.

The court heard the mother and son walked past the farm on their way into town to buy groceries.

It is said the six-year-old stopped to pick up an orange that was lying on the ground – and the mother watched in horror as the farmer allegedly mowed him down.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the farmer faces two counts of attempted murder and reckless driving.

NPA spokesman Eric Ntabazalila told the BBC that the state rejected the defendant's bail application.

Two political parties – the African Transformation Movement and the Pan Africanist Congress – are calling for the expropriation of Mr Stoman's farm following the incident.