The accused, who had become a state witness in the murder case against a Limpopo pig farmer, has testified at the Polokwane High Court in Limpopo that the farmer had instructed him to dispose of the bodies in a pigsty.

Rudolph de Wet is being cross-examined by the defence lawyer Advocate Jacobus Venter.

He says he and the farmer Zacharia Olivier fired shots in the direction of two women and a man at Onverwacht farm, outside Polokwane, in August last year.

De Wet says after firing the shots, he heard a person screaming about 15 meters away.

Olivier is being tried for allegedly killing Maria Makgato and Kudzai Ndlovu, and for the attempted murder of Mabutho Ndlovu.

De Wet says he shot the three at the instruction of the farm owner.

Makgato and Kudzani died from gunshot wounds, but Ndlovu managed to escape from the farm after he was shot.

De Wet says Olivier also instructed him and another worker, William Musona, to dispose of the bodies of the two women in a pigsty.

Musona is facing charges of defeating the ends of justice and being in the country illegally.

First shot

De Wet says the farmer fired the first shot and instructed him to shoot at the people approaching the farm. He says he and Olivier fired shots in the direction of the two women before destroying the rifles. They discarded the destroyed rifles in a borehole on the Onverwacht farm, outside Polokwane, in August last year.

De Wet told the court that it was possible to see people approaching the farm even though it was dark.

“It is possible because he was the one who fired the first shot. If the moon is out, it’s an open field, it is possible to see the person close up…yes, I shot in their direction.”

Conceal evidence

De Wet says the reason for disposing of the bodies of two women in the pigsty was to conceal evidence. He says Olivier told him that they should not disclose the shooting incident, as he wanted to think about the next plan.

Venter: Please repeat to me, you used the word dispose of the bodies, did you, when you moved the bodies into the pigsty, expect the pigs to eat the bodies, and then the evidence is gone? What was the expectation?

De Wet: Yes, it was the plan.

The murder trial has been adjourned until Friday to allow the defence lawyers time to obtain a ballistic report.

Judge Jane Ngobeni says, “The case against both of you is postponed to Friday, the 17th of October 2025, and that is for further hearing. You are both still remanded in custody, and Mr De Wet, you must be here by 08h30 in the morning so that at 09h00 we can start.”