A white South African farmer, Zachariah Johannes Olivier, 60, and his two employees are set to face trial for the alleged murder of two black women, Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, near Polokwane in Limpopo Province.
The women were reportedly searching for food on the farm when they were shot and killed. The suspects then allegedly fed their bodies to pigs to destroy the evidence. Olivier and his co-accused, Adrian de Wet, 19, and William Musora, 50, remain in custody and have not yet entered pleas.
The case has ignited national outrage and heightened racial tensions in rural South Africa. The trio also faces attempted murder charges for allegedly shooting at Ms. Ndlovu’s husband and charges for possession of an unlicensed firearm. Musora, a Zimbabwean, is additionally charged under South Africa’s Immigration Act for being in the country illegally.
