Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
South Africa’s Minister of Police, Mr Senzo Mchunu has condemned the killing of two women one of them a Zimbabwean, whose remains were thrown into a pigsty by a commercial farmer working with his two employees.
The two women were shot along with another Zimbabwean man who escaped with serious wounds on Tuesday last week.
Farm owner Zachariah Olivier (60) and his two employees Adriaan de Wet (19), and a Zimbabwean, William Musoro (45), have since appeared at the Mankweng Magistrates Court where they are expected to appear again tomorrow for formal bail application.
In a statement, the minister said he was deeply appalled and outraged by the heinous crime committed in Mankweng, where the decomposed bodies of two women were found in a pigsty on a farm.
Mr Mchunu said he found the actions of the individuals responsible for this brutal act utterly reprehensible, showing a complete disregard for human life.
“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,” said the Minister.
“I strongly condemn these acts and hope that the court will recognise the gravity of this situation during the formal bail application. Granting bail to these suspects would undermine the severity of their alleged crimes and pose a threat to public safety”.
He also commended the Provincial Tracking Team and the Murder and Robbery Unit for their diligent work in apprehending these suspects.
The Minister said they will continue to do everything in our power to support the ongoing investigation and bring closure to those affected by this tragedy.
According to media reports, mother of four children Mariah Makgato, 47 and 34-year-old Zimbabwean national, Lucia Ndlovu went to the Limpopo farm, accompanied by Ndlovu’s husband where they were shot at. Only the husband survived the incident.
The three accused men were charged with two counts premeditated murder, one count of attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition, defeating the ends of justice.
Musora faces an additional charge of being in South Africa illegally, according to Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, Limpopo spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
“It is alleged that on August 17, 2024, at a farm Onvervaght under Sebayeng policing area, after a Clover truck had dumped alleged expired or soon to expired goods, the two deceased and a surviving victim trespassed into the farm to collect the above goods,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
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