Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya in Makhado, South Africa
THE gruesome trial of a South African pig farmer accused of gunning down two women, including a Zimbabwean, has hit a snag after the defence failed to hand over key ballistic evidence to prosecutors.
The case, which has sent shockwaves across Limpopo, involves 60-year-old farmer Zachariah Olivier and his two employees Adriaan De Wet (19) and William Musoro (45), a Zimbabwean.
The trio allegedly shot and killed two women; one South African and one Zimbabwean in August last year, before dumping their bodies in a pigsty at a farm in Sebayeng, outside Mankweng.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson for the Limpopo Division, Mashudu Dzhangi-Malabi, the matter could not proceed at the Polokwane High Court because of missing ballistic documents.
“The defence team of Accused 1 (Zachariah Olivier) failed to provide the state with the copy of the private ballistic report. This made it impossible for the state to proceed as it will be unfair litigation,” said Dzhangi-Malabi.
She said the defence intended to use the private report during cross-examination of a State witness. “The prosecution team argued that it is being ambushed. The court granted the application. The trial is postponed to 22 October 2025 for the defence to provide the content of the report,” she said.
The court heard that the State’s fourth witness is still under cross-examination.
Olivier and his co-accused face eight charges, including two counts of murder.
Police say investigations began after a 45-year-old South African woman went missing on 17 August 2024 after visiting the farm with a 35-year-old Zimbabwean woman and her 47-year-old husband.
Their decomposed bodies were later found dumped in the pig enclosure, both with gunshot wounds. The husband survived the attack and was hospitalised.
Ndlovu’s body has since been repatriated and buried in Zimbabwe with the help of the country’s Embassy in South Africa.
