A White farm owner and his farm supervisor from South Africa are on trial for allegedly shooting two Black women who entered their property and feeding their bodies to pigs. The brutal case has sparked national outrage over race and justice.
Zachariah Olivier, 60, is accused of shooting the women with the help of 19-year-old Adrian De Wet. Authorities say the killings happened in August 2024, on a farm in Sebayeng, outside Mankweng, Limpopo.
Police found the decomposed bodies in a pigsty on August 20. A third person, a 47-year-old man who was with the women, survived the attack but was shot and hospitalized. He told reporters that one of the victims was his wife and the other was a neighbor. The group had gone to the farm to collect expired dairy products.
The men were arrested after the survivor’s statement and police investigation. They now face charges including two counts of murder, attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, and illegal possession of firearms. Musoro also faces immigration-related charges.
The accused appeared in Limpopo Polokwane High Court but did not enter pleas. The court postponed the hearing to Thursday.
The killings have renewed attention on farm-related violence in South Africa. In a similar 2023 case, four men were charged for killing and burning three people accused of stealing sheep. In 2019, two White farmers were convicted, then later acquitted, for the death of a Black teenager in a sunflower theft case.
South Africa continues to battle high crime rates. Between April and December last year, nearly 20,000 murders were recorded. Farm-related killings, though rare, remain deeply divisive in a country still struggling with racial wounds.
A White farm owner and his farm supervisor from South Africa are on trial for allegedly shooting two Black women who entered their property and feeding their bodies to pigs. The brutal case has sparked national outrage over race and justice.
Zachariah Olivier, 60, is accused of shooting the women with the help of 19-year-old Adrian De Wet. Authorities say the killings happened in August 2024, on a farm in Sebayeng, outside Mankweng, Limpopo.
Police found the decomposed bodies in a pigsty on August 20. A third person, a 47-year-old man who was with the women, survived the attack but was shot and hospitalized. He told reporters that one of the victims was his wife and the other was a neighbor. The group had gone to the farm to collect expired dairy products.
The men were arrested after the survivor’s statement and police investigation. They now face charges including two counts of murder, attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, and illegal possession of firearms. Musoro also faces immigration-related charges.
The accused appeared in Limpopo Polokwane High Court but did not enter pleas. The court postponed the hearing to Thursday.
The killings have renewed attention on farm-related violence in South Africa. In a similar 2023 case, four men were charged for killing and burning three people accused of stealing sheep. In 2019, two White farmers were convicted, then later acquitted, for the death of a Black teenager in a sunflower theft case.
South Africa continues to battle high crime rates. Between April and December last year, nearly 20,000 murders were recorded. Farm-related killings, though rare, remain deeply divisive in a country still struggling with racial wounds.
