Limpopo Pigsty Murders: State Witness Discharged Ahead of Chilling Trial

The Limpopo farming community is still reeling from one of the province’s most disturbing murder cases, a double killing where the victims’ bodies were allegedly thrown into a pigsty and eaten by the animals.

Courtroom twist as accused becomes state witness

This week, the Polokwane High Court saw a major development. Rudolph de Wet, one of the three men accused in the case, has been discharged, for now. The 20-year-old, who worked as a supervisor on the farm where the murders allegedly took place, will now testify for the state under Section 204 of South Africa’s Criminal Procedure Act.

Under this section, a witness can receive indemnity from prosecution if they testify truthfully. If the court later finds De Wet lied, he could be sent back to face the same charges as his co-accused.

The grisly allegations

According to his lawyer and the state prosecutor, De Wet will testify that he was acting “under duress” when ordered to dispose of the bodies of 46-year-old Maria Makgato and 41-year-old Lucia Ndlovu. He alleges that his employer, 60-year-old pig farmer Zackariah Olivier, shot the two women, and that he was then forced to dump their bodies into the pig enclosure, where the animals fed on them.

Also accused is 50-year-old Zimbabwean national William Musoro, who faces an extra immigration-related charge. Both Olivier and Musoro remain behind bars, awaiting trial scheduled for October 6–17, 2025.

The victims and the day they died

It’s the state’s case that Makgato and Ndlovu had gone to Onvervaght farm in Sebayeng, outside Polokwane, to collect expired food, a common practice in rural communities where farmers share discarded produce or goods. Prosecutors allege that the women were shot and their remains disposed of in a way that has left the community horrified and traumatised.

Public shock and social media outcry

In Limpopo, where farming life is a daily reality, the details of this case have sparked outrage. On Facebook community groups, locals have expressed disbelief and called for the harshest possible sentences if the accused are found guilty. Many say the alleged acts are not just criminal, but “inhuman beyond words.”

Twitter (X) users have been particularly vocal about the state’s decision to use De Wet as a witness, with some questioning whether justice can truly be served if someone allegedly involved in the crime walks free. Others see it as a necessary strategy to secure convictions against the main perpetrators.

When the trial resumes in October, the court will hear De Wet’s testimony, a key moment that could determine whether the state’s case holds. For now, two accused men remain behind bars, the rural community of Sebayeng waits for answers, and the families of Maria Makgato and Lucia Ndlovu continue to demand justice.

{Source: The Citizen}

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