Two women looking for food tried to steal nearly-expired dairy left out as animal feed on a rural South African farm. Hours later, their bodies were being fed to pigs
A 20-year-old South African farm worker has testified that he was forced to feed two women’s bodies to pigs after the farm owner allegedly shot them for stealing nearly-expired dairy left out as animal feed.
Adrian de Wet, testifying as a state witness at the Limpopo High Court, said his former boss, White farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier, fatally shot Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, on a farm near Polokwane on Aug. 17, 2024.
According to BBC News, the two Black women were allegedly scavenging for food when Olivier confronted them and opened fire.
De Wet claims Olivier then ordered him to dispose of their bodies in a pigsty — an act prosecutors believe was meant to destroy evidence.
Their corpses, reportedly decomposed and mauled by pigs, were not found for another three days, according to a police statement issued 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 with the women at the time; possession of an unlicensed firearm; and obstruction of justice for allegedly helping to conceal 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 sparked widespread outrage across South Africa and further inflamed racial tensions, particularly in rural regions where land inequality remains a legacy of apartheid. Most private farmland is still owned by the White minority, while the majority of farm laborers are Black and often underpaid — conditions that continue to fuel resentment and political division.
None of the accused have entered formal pleas. All remain in custody as the trial continues.
De Wet claims 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, per BBC.
The courtroom has been packed with relatives of the victims and political observers, including members of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters, who have previously called for the farm to be shut down, BBC reported. Olivier’s wife, present in court, was seen wiping away tears, per the outlet.
The trial is expected to resume 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, per 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.
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