The Limpopo pigsty murders suspects Zachariah Olivier, Adriaan de Wet, and William Musoro appeared at the Mankweng Magistrate’s Court on Friday for a formal bail hearing. Picture: Supplied.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are demanding that the meat industry stop buying from Kwamakalane Farm, Limpopo, where two women were killed and their bodies were dumped in a pigsty.
South Africans were left shocked after two women, Maria Makgota, 47, and Locadia Ndlovu, 34, were brutally murdered and their alleged killers fed their bodies to their pigs.
The farmer and his two workers, accused of killing the women, appeared at the Mankweng Magistrate’s Court on Friday for a formal bail hearing.
Zachariah Olivier, Adriaan de Wet, and William Musoro face multiple charges, including two counts of premeditated murder, attempted murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and defeating the ends of justice.
Musoro also faces an additional charge for contravening the Immigration Act.
The case was postponed to 10 September for bail applications, and the accused will be remanded in custody until then.
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The EFF said the suspects didn’t just commit an unspeakable atrocity but also created a significant public health risk.
“The pigs, who have been fed human remains, now pose a danger to consumers, and any products derived from this farm must be removed from shelves without delay,” the party demanded in a statement on Friday.
The EFF added that it cannot stand by while products from this farm continue to be sold.
It called on all retailers and distributors to “act responsibly” and immediately sever ties with the farm.
“Failure to do so will cause the EFF to assist in removing these products off their shelves,” the EFF said.
Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe condemned the killing of Makgota, a mother of four.
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“I am deeply saddened and disturbed by the violence and brutal killings of women, particularly during the month of August, where we expect women to be embraced, protected, and celebrated,” Tolashe said.
The department said the provincial department, through its social workers, visited the home of the deceased in the village of Kotishing, Polokwane.
According to the department, Makgota was unemployed and supported her family through the child support grant.
Three of her children are in school; the youngest is registered at an early childhood development centre, and her eldest, 22, is employed as a casual worker at a local farm, but her contract is ending in December.
“Social workers are greatly assisting the family, and an assessment of the needs of the family was conducted to determine how best they could be supported. Counselling was provided as part of the basket of psychosocial support services the department provides to victims who have suffered trauma and loss,” the minister said.
The department added that a report will be compiled to determine a suitable person to care for the children, and the family will be provided with a Social Relief of Distress grant while awaiting the post-mortem results so they can finalise the burial service of the deceased.
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