A 20-year-old South African farm worker has testified that he was compelled to feed the bodies of two women to pigs after the farm owner allegedly shot them for stealing nearly expired dairy products left out as animal feed.
Adrian de Wet, appearing as a state witness at the Limpopo High Court, stated that his former employer, White farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier, fatally shot Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, on a farm near Polokwane on August 17, 2024.
According to BBC News, the two Black women were reportedly scavenging for food when Olivier confronted them and opened fire.
De Wet alleges that Olivier then ordered him to dispose of their bodies in a pigsty — an act prosecutors believe was intended to conceal evidence.
The women’s corpses, reportedly decomposed and mauled by pigs, were not discovered until three days later, according to a police statement released at the time.
De Wet, Olivier, 60, and a third man, William Musora, 50, now face murder charges, per the BBC. They are also charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting at Ndlovu’s husband, who was present with the women; possession of an unlicensed firearm; and obstruction of justice for allegedly aiding in the concealment of the bodies.
Musora, a Zimbabwean national, faces an additional charge under South Africa’s Immigration Act for allegedly residing in the country illegally.
The case has ignited widespread outrage across South Africa and intensified racial tensions, particularly in rural areas where land inequality remains a legacy of apartheid. Most private farmland continues to be owned by the White minority, while the majority of farm laborers are Black and often underpaid — conditions that contribute to ongoing resentment and political division.
None of the accused have entered formal pleas. All remain in custody as the trial proceeds.
De Wet maintains that he acted under duress and is cooperating with prosecutors as a state witness — if the court accepts his testimony, all charges against him could be dropped, according to the BBC.
The courtroom has been filled with relatives of the victims and political observers, including members of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters, who have previously called for the farm’s closure, BBC reported. Olivier’s wife, present during the proceedings, was seen wiping away tears, per the outlet.
The trial is expected to continue next week.
“This is one of the most disturbing and inhumane acts in our province, and we will ensure those responsible face the full might of the law,” Thembi Hadebe, provincial police commissioner, said last August, according to TimesLive.
“Remember that the victims were killed while they were looking for food,” Sindisiwe Chikunga, the Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, told the media, per Jacaranda FM.
