“He is in tremendous pain”: Wife breaks silence after North West farmer Donovan Marx has both ears cut off in brutal farm attack
The wife of a 50-year-old North West cattle farmer who was shot, stabbed, and had both of his ears cut off during a horrific farm attack near Ventersdorp has thanked South Africans for their outpouring of prayers as her husband recovers in intensive care.
Donovan Marx underwent surgery following Wednesday morning’s ambush and is currently in a stable condition in the critical care unit at Mediclinic Potchefstroom, his family confirmed in a statement released through their attorneys, Steyn du Toit Incorporated.
“We are overwhelmed by your love, we have no words,” his wife, Louise Marx, said.
“We trust in the Lord for strength and healing. Our greatest wish is simply that Donovan rests and recovers. Thank you for carrying us in your prayers.”
Ambushed in broad daylight
The attack, which has already drawn international headlines, unfolded at around 08:30 on Wednesday on the family’s farm in Syferfontein, outside Ventersdorp.
According to North West police spokesperson Captain Majang Skalkie, a farmworker was mowing the lawn when three armed men wearing balaclavas emerged from behind the farmhouse.
The gunmen pointed their firearms at the worker and demanded to know where the farm owner was. They then bound the worker’s hands and feet with cable ties and moved him to the back of the house.
When Marx arrived back at the farm in his red single-cab Isuzu bakkie (pick-up truck), two of the attackers confronted him and shot him in the upper body.
Skalkie said the men dragged the wounded farmer inside the house, bound his hands and feet with cable ties, and repeatedly stabbed and assaulted him. Member of Parliament Ian Cameron revealed that both of Marx’s ears were cut off during the ordeal.
The attackers ransacked the house and stole three firearms from a safe before fleeing the scene in Marx’s Isuzu bakkie.
The tied-up farmworker managed to free himself and raise the alarm, allowing emergency responders to rush Marx to hospital in a serious condition.
“The darkest hours of our lives”
In their statement, the Marx family confirmed the severity of his injuries and pleaded for privacy during what they described as the darkest hours of their lives.
“He is in tremendous pain … his recovery is now our only priority, please pray for him,” the statement read.
“The family is broken, but deeply touched by every prayer and message. Thank you to everyone who helped.”
The family expressed their gratitude to the Ventersdorp and Potchefstroom communities, fellow farmers, emergency personnel, doctors, and the police. Under strict doctors' orders, no visitors are permitted to see Marx other than close family members approved by Louise.
The family also urged the public to refrain from speculating about the attack and to allow the police space to conduct their investigation, asking that nobody contact the hospital or family directly and that all inquiries be directed through their lawyers during office hours.
Manhunt underway as attack sparks outrage
Police have opened cases of house robbery and attempted murder. Skalkie confirmed that no arrests have been made yet.
North West police commissioner Lieutenant-General Arthur Peter Adams strongly condemned the attack and urged anyone with information to help track down the suspects.
“The use of firearms and the brutal assault of an individual in the course of a robbery are serious criminal acts that will not be tolerated,” Adams said.
Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp also spoke out against the attack on Thursday, sending his prayers to Marx, his loved ones, and the wider farming community.
“There is no place in our country for such senseless and barbaric acts,” Aucamp said, adding that the government continues to condemn rural crime in the strongest possible terms.