A gruesome murder case unfolding in Limpopo has reignited national outrage over racial injustice and deep divisions in South Africa’s rural farming communities. A white farm owner stands accused of killing two black women and allegedly disposing of their bodies by feeding them to pigs.
Adrian de Wet, a 20-year-old farm supervisor, turned state witness in the ongoing trial against his employer, Zachariah Johannes Olivier, and fellow farm worker William Musora. De Wet claims he was forced under threat to throw the bodies of Maria Makgato (45) and Lucia Ndlovu (34) into a pig pen after they were shot by Olivier.
The women had reportedly entered the farm seeking discarded dairy products often used to feed livestock. According to the prosecution, instead of being warned off or reported, they were met with deadly violence.
De Wet’s legal team says he acted under duress and should not be held criminally responsible. Prosecutors have stated that if the court accepts his testimony, charges against him could be dropped.
The incident occurred in 2024 near Polokwane, in South Africa’s northern Limpopo province. Makgato and Ndlovu’s deaths have sparked public fury, highlighting the continued racial and economic disparities inherited from the apartheid era.
The trial also includes charges of attempted murder, as the two women were accompanied by Ndlovu’s husband, who was reportedly shot at but survived. The accused are also charged with illegal firearm possession and obstruction of justice.
Musora, a Zimbabwean national, faces an additional charge related to his immigration status.
The courtroom was filled with the victims’ families, community members, and activists, including representatives from the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who have previously called for the farm to be permanently closed.
Olivier and Musora remain in custody, and the trial has been postponed to next week.
Though apartheid officially ended over three decades ago, the racial dynamics of land ownership and labor remain contentious. Most farmland is still owned by the white minority, while black workers often endure poverty, abuse, and marginalization.
This case has once again exposed the fragile state of reconciliation in South Africa, and many are demanding justice—not just for the victims, but for what they see as a broader, systemic failure.