Cape Town, South Africa

A farmer and two of his workers have been accused of fatally shooting two Black women and feeding them to pigs in South Africa’s northern Limpopo province in August. The incident has sparked outrage in South Africa. 

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Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, were shot by a White farmer, while they were looking for food on the farm near Polokwane in Limpopo province. 

Their bodies were then allegedly given to pigs in an apparent attempt to dispose of the evidence.

Currently, the court is deciding whether to grant bail to farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier, 60, and his employees Adrian de Wet, 19, and William Musora, 50, ahead of their murder trial. 

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The three men have not been asked to enter a plea in court yet. However, they can do so after the trial begins.

Protest against the killing of women

During previous hearings, people have been protesting outside court demanding that the suspects be denied bail. 

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Makgato’s brother Walter Mathole told BBC that the incident has further exacerbated racial tension between Black and White people in South Africa.

The three accused are also facing charges in the court of attempted murder for shooting at Ndlovu's husband, who was with the women at the farm. 

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Ncube survived the ordeal, crawled away and managed to call a doctor for help. He said that he reported the incident to police and officers found the decomposing bodies of his wife and Makgato in the pigsty several days later.

Mathole said he was with officers and saw a shocking sight inside the pig enclosure – his sister’s body which had been partly eaten by the animals.

“My mum died a painful death, she was a loving mother who did everything for us. We lacked nothing because of her,” Ranti Makgato, the oldest of Makgato's sons, told the BBC.

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“I think I’ll sleep better at night if the alleged killers are denied bail,” he added.

Human Rights Commission condemns the incident 

The South African Human Rights Commission has condemned the killings and called for anti-racism dialogues between affected communities. 

(With inputs from agencies)