A South African farm worker has delivered horrifying testimony describing how his employer ordered him to feed two murdered women to pigs to destroy evidence of the killings. The shocking revelation has reignited national outrage and exposed deep racial wounds that still scar rural South Africa.
The witness, Adrian De Wet, 21, told the Polokwane High Court that his boss, Zachariah Johannes Olivier, forced him to help dispose of the bodies of Maria Makgato (45) and Lucia Ndlovu (34) after they were shot on a farm near Polokwane in Limpopo Province last year.
De Wet, who had originally faced murder charges but later turned state witness, said Olivier instructed him to throw the bodies into a pig enclosure, saying, “When pigs are hungry enough, they’ll eat anything.”
Harrowing Testimony Details Grisly Crime
De Wet recounted that he and Olivier, both armed with hunting rifles, had waited for “trespassers” to enter the farm on 17 August 2024. When they heard voices, they opened fire, later discovering that they had killed a woman.
The next morning, Olivier allegedly told De Wet to throw the body into a pen housing eight to ten large pigs. The following day, a second woman’s body was found nearby and was also dumped in the pig enclosure.
By Tuesday, De Wet said, the pigs had already eaten large portions of the victims’ remains. Shocking photographic evidence shown in court revealed missing body parts, including thighs, buttocks, faces, and shoulders.
State prosecutor Advocate George Sekhukhune asked why the victims were placed in the pen. De Wet replied, “We were disposing of the evidence.”
He added that Olivier later destroyed the rifles used in the attack by cutting them up with an angle grinder and burning the wooden parts before discarding the remains in a borehole.
Courtroom in Tears as Racial Tensions Flare
The emotional testimony brought several in the courtroom to tears. The son of one victim sobbed throughout the proceedings, while Olivier himself appeared to cry as De Wet gave evidence.
The gruesome case has sparked widespread anger in South Africa, where racial divisions continue to fester in farming communities. Despite the end of apartheid three decades ago, most farmland remains owned by the white minority, while the majority of black farm workers face poverty and exploitation.
In recent years, tensions have flared amid rising crime rates and accusations of racial injustice, with this case serving as a painful reminder of the country’s deep social divides.
Ongoing Trial and Public Outrage
The accused, Zachariah Olivier (60) and William Musora (50), face murder charges and could face life sentences if convicted. De Wet’s cooperation with prosecutors has made him a key witness in what is now one of South Africa’s most disturbing murder trials.
Public reaction has been swift and emotional. Human rights activists and community leaders have condemned the crime as an example of systemic violence and racial inequality that continues to plague South Africa’s rural heartlands.
Cross-examination of Olivier and Musora is scheduled to continue next week as the nation watches closely. For many South Africans, the Limpopo farm murders have become a chilling symbol of the unfinished work of reconciliation and justice in the post-apartheid era.
