[imagesource: Sebabatso Mosamo/Sunday Times]

Whilst the argument around just how prevalent farm murders are (and the use of the word ‘genocide’, for example) remains heated and fractious, South Africa as a whole seems shocked by the recent brutal triple murder in the Northern Cape town of Hartswater.

Elzabie Brand, 54, and her parents, Breggie, 73, and Danie, 83, were attacked on July 26, with their three bodies found over the course of the next two days.

The community is rightly furious, as well as dealing with the shock of it all, and the five suspects arrested first appeared in court on July 30.

TimesLIVE has put together this video, which covers many of the facts around this tragedy:

That video gives a decent overview of the case, but in a lengthy Sunday Times article, further details are provided.

However, the motive for the attack is a mystery:

Only a laptop and a cellphone were taken, and the bodies of the victims were buried kilometres from the road where their vehicle was found.

Police are investigating a case of robbery, but have not ruled out other possibilities.

A police source said: “This doesn’t seem to be a random farm attack. Why kidnap the couple but not withdraw money from their bank accounts? Why bury them where they were found when they could have been left dead at home?”