South African Farmers Accused of Killing Two Women and Feeding Their Bodies to Pigs

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Three men in South Africa are accused of killing two women and feeding their bodies to pigs on their farm, a case that has outraged the public.

The men appeared in court on Tuesday in the northern province of Limpopo. The state seeks to keep them behind bars until their trial is concluded.

Farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier, supervisor Andrian Rudolph de Wet, and employee William Musora face two counts of premeditated murder, one count of attempted murder, and possession of an unlicensed firearm. Musora, a Zimbabwean national, also faces charges of being in the country illegally.

It is alleged that in August, a truck belonging to a dairy company dumped potentially expired goods at Olivier’s farm, prompting the women, Locadia Ndlovu and Maria Makgatho, to trespass and attempt to collect the products.

Both women were shot and killed. A man who was with them was injured and crawled to a nearby road to call for help. Police found the women’s decomposed bodies in a pigsty.

Several political parties protested outside Mankweng Magistrates Court, calling for the men to be denied bail and to face the harshest possible sentence. The South African Human Rights Commission urged the public not to take the law into their own hands in retaliation.

Violent crimes on South African farms have been a concern for years, including the killing of farmers by criminals and the abuse of workers by farmers.

The case will continue next month.