A white South African farm worker on trial for murder has told the court he was forced to feed the bodies of two black women to pigs.
According to his lawyers, Adrian de Wet, 20, is one of three men accused of murdering Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, who were allegedly searching for food on a farm near Polokwane in South Africa’s Limpopo province last year.
The prosecution alleges that their bodies were fed to pigs in an attempt to destroy the evidence.
De Wet, who worked as a supervisor on the farm, has turned state witness. During the trial, which began on Monday, he claimed that his employer, Zachariah Johannes Olivier, 60, was the one who shot and killed the two women.
Both women had reportedly been scavenging for soon-to-expire dairy products that had been discarded for pig feed when the fatal incident occurred.
De Wet is expected to testify that he acted under duress when he was “forced to throw their bodies into the pig enclosure,” according to both the prosecution and his own lawyer. If the court accepts his testimony, all charges against him will be dropped.
The case has sparked widespread outrage in South Africa, intensifying already existing racial tensions — particularly in rural areas. Although apartheid ended over three decades ago, most farmland remains owned by the white minority, while black workers often remain poorly paid. This imbalance continues to fuel resentment, while some white farmers point to rising crime rates as a concern.
The third accused in the case is 50-year-old William Musora, another farm worker. He and Olivier have not yet entered pleas and remain in custody.
All three men also face charges of attempted murder for allegedly shooting at Ms Ndlovu’s husband, who was present during the incident. They are further accused of possessing an unlicensed firearm and obstructing justice by allegedly disposing of the bodies in the pigsty.
Musora, who is a Zimbabwean national, faces an additional charge under South Africa’s Immigration Act for allegedly residing in the country illegally.
At the Limpopo High Court, relatives of the deceased and numerous supporters packed the courtroom as proceedings began. Olivier’s wife, seated in the front row of the public gallery, was seen wiping away tears during the session.
Members of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters party, which has previously called for the farm to be shut down, were also in attendance.
The trial has been postponed to next week.
(BBC)
