A 60-year-old White South African farmer, Zachariah Johannes Olivier, and his two workers, Adrian de Wet, 19, and William Musora, 50, are facing accusations of murdering two Black women, Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, and feeding their remains to pigs.
The incident, which occurred on August 17 near Polokwane in Limpopo province, has sparked nationwide outrage. The women, reportedly searching for food, were allegedly shot dead by the farmer and his employees. Their bodies were then allegedly fed to pigs in an attempt to destroy evidence.
A court is set to determine whether Olivier and his employees will be granted bail as they await trial. Protests have erupted outside the court, with demonstrators demanding bail be denied.
The suspects face additional charges of attempted murder for shooting at Ms Ndlovu’s husband, Mabutho Ncube, who managed to escape and report the crime to the police.
Walter Mathole, the brother of one of the victims, Maria Makgato, expressed concern over the racial tensions reignited by the incident, which echoes South Africa’s apartheid past. Ms Ndlovu’s husband, who survived the attack, led police to the hovel where the women’s decomposing bodies were found.
Makgato’s family, especially her four sons, aged 5 to 22, have been devastated. Her eldest son, Ranti, expressed hope that denying bail to the accused would bring some relief.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a South African opposition party, has called for the farm’s closure, citing concerns over its practices and potential danger to consumers.
In a separate incident, another farmer, Christoffel Stoman, 70, was accused of running over a six-year-old Black child, Khwezi Jantjies, after accusing him of stealing an orange.
The child survived, but his mother, Magdalena Jantjies, recounted how Stoman threatened to kill her son. The attack left Khwezi with broken legs, further fuelling tensions surrounding racial violence in rural South Africa.
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