Adrian de Wet, a South African farm worker, has alleged that he was coerced into feeding the bodies of two murdered women to pigs, shocking claims that have surfaced during an ongoing trial in Limpopo province. De Wet is one of three men facing murder charges for the deaths of Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, who were reportedly killed while scavenging for food on a farm near Polokwane last year.
According to De Wet's statement, farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier shot the women as they searched for dairy products that were soon to expire, which had been left for the pigs. An attempt to conceal the evidence allegedly involved throwing the women's bodies into a pig enclosure. De Wet, who at the time was a supervisor on the farm, has emerged as a state witness and claims he acted under duress, asserting that the prosecution could drop charges against him if his testimony stands.
The case has intensified racial tensions throughout South Africa, particularly in rural areas, where economic disparities between the predominantly black labor force and the white minority landowners continue to foster resentment. Despite the end of apartheid over 30 years ago, issues of land ownership and economic disparity remain sore points in the nation.
Another farm worker, William Musora, a Zimbabwean national, is also implicated in the case, while Olivier has not yet entered a plea and faces charges beyond murder, including attempted murder for shooting at Ndlovu’s husband who accompanied the women and for possession of an unlicensed firearm. The Limpopo High Court witnessed a full house of supporters and family members of the victims, as well as those demanding justice for the women and an end to the farm's operations.
The trial has been postponed until next week, as participants prepare for a continuation of this deeply disturbing and complex case that has caught national and international attention.
