A white South African farm worker accused of killing two black women claims he was forced to give their remains to pigs, according to lawyers. Adrian de Wet is one of three men charged with murder after Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, were killed while allegedly foraging for food on a farm near Polokwane in South Africa’s northern Limpopo province last year. Their bodies were subsequently said to have been put to pigs in an apparent attempt to dispose of the evidence. Mr De Wet, 20, turned state evidence when the trial began on Monday, claiming that farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier shot and killed the two ladies.
Ms Makgato and Ms Ndlovu were looking for dairy goods that were about to expire and had been left for pigs after they were killed. Mr De Wet, a farm supervisor, will testify that he was coerced into throwing their bodies into the pig enclosure, according to both the prosecution and his counsel. If the court accepts his testimony, all accusations against him will be dismissed. The case has aroused uproar across South Africa, escalating racial tensions in the country. Such tension is especially rife in rural areas, despite the end of the racist system of apartheid more than 30 years ago. Most private farmland remains in the hands of the white minority, while most farm workers are black and poorly paid, fuelling resentment among the black population, while many white farmers complain of high crime rates.
William Musora, 50, a farm worker, is the third accused. He and Mr Olivier, 60, have yet to enter a plea and remain in custody. The three men are also charged with attempted murder for killing Ms Ndlovu’s husband, who was with the women on the farm, as well as possession of an illegal handgun and obstructing justice for allegedly putting the bodies in the pig enclosure to conceal evidence. Mr Musora, a Zimbabwean national, faces a further charge under South Africa’s Immigration Act for being an unlawful immigrant.
Before the trials began, the Limpopo High Court was filled with victims’ supporters and family. Mr Olivier’s wife was also present, sitting in the public gallery’s front row and wiping away tears. Members of the opposition group Economic Freedom Fighters, which had previously urged for the farm’s closure, were also present in court. The trial was postponed until next week.
English