Police in South Africa have taken five men into custody in connection with the violent attack on 50‑year‑old farmer Donovan Marx on a farm near Ventersdorp, North West province.

Marx was ambushed while returning home from a house robbery on Wednesday, shot in the upper body, stabbed, and had his ears cut off, according to police statements.

The assault began when masked gunmen confronted a farm worker mowing the lawn, tied the worker with cable ties, and demanded Marx’s whereabouts before the farmer arrived.

After being shot, Marx was dragged inside the house, restrained with cable ties, and stabbed, while the perpetrators ransacked the premises and stole three firearms from a safe before fleeing in his van.

The farm worker eventually freed himself and called for help; Marx was taken to hospital where he remains, possibly requiring prosthetic ears after surgeons could not save his own.

The five suspects, aged 26 to 56, are scheduled to appear in local courts on Tuesday on charges of house robbery, attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp condemned the attack as “senseless and barbaric”, while the chair of parliament’s police committee, Ian Cameron, praised the swift arrests and called for a strong, properly investigated case.

The incident has sparked public outrage in South Africa, a nation already grappling with high levels of violent crime, though recent crime statistics do not isolate farm attacks specifically.