The family of one of the two women who were shot dead at a Limpopo farm is demanding justice after pig farmer, Zachariah Johannes Olivier, farm supervisor Andrian Rudolph De Wet, and a farm employee William Musora were arrested for the murder.
The three accused men were remanded in custody after they were arrested for the murder of two Limpopo women, and the attempted murder of a man who was accompanying the two women.
Mother of four, 47-year-old Mariah Makgato, and 34-year-old Zimbabwean national, Kudzai Ndlovu went to the Limpopo farm, accompanied by Ndlovu’s husband where they were shot at. Only the husband survived the incident after being shot but managed to flee with his injuries.
Makgatho’s brother Walter Mathole told the SABC that after his sister failed to return home, he went to the farm but did not get help.
“I went to the farm asking if they had seen my sister but they did not provide me with any helpful information. I also asked workers at the farm but they said they were not at work when the incident happened,” he said.
Mathole said a neighbour of the farm informed him that he had heard gunshots.
“We have lost so much. My sister’s children are now orphans and it will now be my duty to take care of them. I need help and I want the accused people to be denied bail,” he said.
IOL reported on Monday that the three accused men were charged with two counts premeditated murder, one count of attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition, defeating the ends of justice.
Musora faces an additional charge of being in South Africa illegally, according to Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, Limpopo spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
“It is alleged that on August 17, 2024, at a farm Onvervaght under Sebayeng policing area, after a Clover truck had dumped alleged expired or soon to expired goods, the two deceased and a surviving victim trespassed into the farm to collect the above goods,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
The NPA said Olivier and De Wet had planned to shoot any member of the community who trespassed into the farm.
“The accused proceeded to fire several shots at the members of community killing two women and wounding the surviving male witness. The witness (Ndlovu’s farm) then crawled to the main road, received assistance and was then transported to the hospital,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
“The following day, accused number three (Musora) who is an employee at the farm arrived at the farm and discovered the bodies of the deceased. He proceeded to report his discovery to accused one (Olivier) and accused two (De Wet).”
Subsequently, the three men allegedly proceeded to remove the two deceased bodies from where they had died and dumped them into pig stalls.
“The pigs then started consuming one of the deceased’s body on the upper part. It is alleged that accused one (Olivier) cut the firearm used in the murder and disposed of it along the R80 road. The accused did not report the incident until the August 20,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
In the aftermath, police received information about the murder and attempted murder incident at the farm and the three accused men were arrested on Wednesday last week.
When the trio appeared in court and their matter was postponed to August 30 for profiling, while the three accused remain in custody.
IOL