Limpopo pig farmer, Zachariah Johannes Olivier, farm supervisor Andrian Rudolph De Wet, and a farm employee William Musora were remanded in custody after they were arrested for the murder of two Limpopo women.
According to media reports, mother of four children Mariah Makgato, 47 and 34-year-old Zimbabwean national, Lucia Ndlovu went to the Limpopo farm, accompanied by Ndlovu’s husband where they were shot at. Only the husband survived the incident.
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 trespasses 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 then crawled to the main road, received assistance and was then transported to the hospital,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
“The following day, accused number 3 (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 the 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 2024,” 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 on Friday, their matter was postponed to August 30 for profiling, while the three accused remain in custody.
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