Three suspects charged with the gruesome murder of two women, whose bodies were dumped in a pigsty, have appeared before the Mankweng Magistrate’s Court. The suspects were arrested following the discovery of the decomposed remains at a farm in Sebayeng, near Polokwane, on Tuesday.
The victims, identified as Maria Makgato and Locadia Ndlhovhu, were found inside the pig enclosure after a man who had been shot and injured alerted the authorities. The case has sent shockwaves through the community, as the nature of the crime is both shocking and deeply disturbing.
The suspects, 60-year-old Zacharia Olivier, who owns the farm, 40-year-old William Musora, and 19-year-old Rudolf De Wit, made a brief appearance in court. Police initially arrested Olivier and De Wit on Tuesday, while Musora, a foreign national, was apprehended the following day. All three face murder charges.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the bodies of the two women were discarded in the pig stalls, with the intention of destroying evidence. Family members of the victims are devastated, struggling to comprehend the brutality of the crime.
Memory Mushayabasa, a relative of one of the victims, expressed the family’s anguish: “We kept on asking about her whereabouts, on Tuesday she was found dead with gunshot wounds inside a pig enclosure. Her remains were kept with the pigs, so this is so painful to us, she left four children, it hurts, we have never seen something like this.”
Another family member, Charles Mogale, detailed the horrific discovery: “On Monday, the relatives of the deceased were called to come to the farm to check the situation which had just unfolded, they found the remains of their loved one in a pig’s enclosure, the pigs had already started consuming them, which points to the suspects wanting to dispose of the evidence.”
The case has been postponed until next Friday to allow for further investigation, profiling, and the continuation of the bail application process. The court has ordered the media not to display images of the suspects, while the defence continues to consult with the accused.
Lawyer Andries Rheeder, representing one of the suspects, stated, “Well, at this stage regarding the specialization in pigs, there is pig farming apparently but this, like I also said, I have not been able to confirm. The only people I have spoken to are some of his family members.”
The investigation remains ongoing as the community awaits justice in this harrowing case.
