Limpopo, South Africa — What began as a desperate search for food ended in tragedy — and a story that has shaken South Africa’s conscience.
Two Black women, Maria Makgato (45) and Lucia Ndlovu (34), were allegedly shot dead on a farm while collecting expired dairy products left out for pigs. Their bodies, prosecutors say, were then fed to those same animals in a horrific attempt to erase the evidence.
“He Made Me Do It,” Says Farmworker
In the chilling testimony at the Limpopo High Court, 20-year-old farm supervisor Adrian de Wet took the stand as a state witness. Fighting back emotion, he claimed that the farm owner, 60-year-old Zachariah Johannes Olivier, pulled the trigger and then forced him to help cover up the crime by dumping the women’s bodies in the pigsty.
“I feared for my life,” De Wet’s lawyer said. “He did what he was told to do.”
De Wet is cooperating with prosecutors in exchange for possible immunity — a decision that has brought both criticism and sympathy.
The Women Were Hungry
Maria and Lucia weren’t strangers on the property. For months, they had been collecting soon-to-expire dairy left out by the farm for animals — scraps that had become a lifeline amid poverty and food insecurity. But on that day in 2024, something went horribly wrong.
Their search for food turned fatal. Prosecutors allege that Olivier, along with another farmworker, William Musora, opened fire at close range. Lucia’s husband, who had accompanied them, managed to escape with his life after being shot at.
When their remains were discovered, parts of their bodies had already been consumed by the pigs.
Facing the Law — and the Country’s Pain
Olivier and Musora are now in custody, facing charges that include two counts of murder, attempted murder, obstruction of justice, and illegal possession of a firearm. Musora, a Zimbabwean, also faces immigration charges.
Both men have yet to enter pleas. The trial has been adjourned until next week — but already, its impact has been seismic.
In court, the grief was raw. Family members sobbed quietly, while community activists and politicians — including members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) — packed the courtroom.
“This isn’t just about two women,” said EFF spokesperson Thabo Mokoena. “This is about a country still battling with the ghosts of its past — about who owns land, and who goes hungry.”
The Deeper Wound
For many South Africans, this case cuts deeper than criminal justice. It’s a stark reminder of the racial and economic inequalities that still grip rural communities. More than three decades after the end of apartheid, land ownership remains heavily skewed, and Black farm labourers are often paid meager wages under dangerous conditions.
While the government has promised land reform, critics say change is moving too slowly — and cases like this one show why the urgency can’t be ignored.
As the nation watches this trial unfold, two truths remain: Maria Makgato and Lucia Ndlovu are gone, and the pain of their last moments has lit a fire that can’t be put out with silence.
Their names — and their hunger — now echo through a courtroom, demanding justice.
