Free State police have arrested two men in connection with the murders of seven farmworkers. 

The owner of Lismor farm, near Kestell, discovered the bodies of six women and a man inside their house on Friday. Police said the victims had been shot.

Provincial police spokesperson Brig Motantsi Makhele said an intelligence-led investigation resulted in the arrests of a 22-year-old and a 34-year-old.

“The two were arrested on a road just outside Bohlokong township. Two firearms, a shotgun and pellet gun believed to have been stolen from the same farmhouse were also recovered with the possibility that one of the firearms could be the murder weapon,” said Makhele.

“For now it can only be confirmed that the young man killed was 17 years old and the six women’s ages ranged from 22 to 53 years. We expect the next of kin to confirm their full names during the day while formal identification of the bodies will be conducted.”

The suspects have been charged with seven counts of murder, armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms. They are set to appear in the Kestell magistrate’s court on Monday.

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