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A Limpopo farmer and his two workers, accused of killing two women and dumping their bodies in a pigsty, 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 state opposes bail for the three men.
The defence team, consisting of advocates Jakobus Johannes Venter, Jodi Meyer, and Chanel Brown, asked for more time to consider the bail application, citing a lack of access to police dockets and an inability to consult with their clients.
Venter, representing Olivier, told the court that he was only told on Friday morning that his client had made a damning statement to the police.
“At no point was he granted an opportunity to call his attorney and I was not aware he made any statement until I consulted this morning. It is concerning,” he said.
However, state prosecutor Joel Mamabolo refuted their request, stating that providing the docket contents could compromise the ongoing investigation.
Addressing the court, Mamabolo said: “My address in respect of accused number one regarding police docket contents still applies to accused number two. We are refusing, we are not going to provide you with the contents that are in the docket.”
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 victims’ bodies were discovered in a decomposed state with some of their intestines already exposed. Police received a tip-off about the incident.
Olivier, De Wet and Musoro were subsequently arrested after the police received this information.
According to Limpopo police spokesperson Brig Hlulani Mashaba, the investigation began when Maria Makgato, 45, went missing after visiting the farm on 17 August.
“Both women sustained gunshot wounds, and a 47-year-old foreign national man, who was with them, was also shot and hospitalised,” said Mashaba.
Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu condemned the brutal murder of the two women.
Mchunu emphasised that justice must be served without leniency.
“The arrest of these suspects is a step towards justice for the victims and their families. The horrific nature of this crime demands that justice be served without leniency,” he said.
Furthermore, Mchunu vehemently opposed granting bail to the suspects, citing the severity of their alleged crimes and the potential threat to public safety.
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