POLOKWANE – The murder trial of pig farmer Zacharia Olivier and his co-accused, William Musora, has been postponed to February 22 next year in the Polokwane High Court.

The matter was heard in court on Friday.

The two are accused of killing Maria Makgato and Kudzai Ndlovu, whose bodies were found at a pig farm in Onverwacht outside Polokwane in August 2024.

Trial dates set

Judge Jane Ngobeni ruled that the trial will continue until March if it is not completed in February.

“The case is postponed to the 22nd of February 2027, and if we don’t finish on the 22nd of February 2027, we are going to proceed or run with the trial until the 26th of February 2027.”

The other dates that have been reserved are from March 1, 2027, to March 5, 2027, said Judge Ngobeni.

What happened at the farm

The two deceased allegedly entered Olivier’s farm scavenging for soon-to-expire dairy products and leftover yogurt that had been dumped on the property to feed the livestock.

Evidence heard previously in court included that while on the farm, the women were shot and killed.

Lucia Ndlovu’s husband, Mabutho Ncube, was with them and sustained gunshot wounds. Despite his injuries, he managed to crawl away from the property to a nearby main road, where he flagged down assistance and alerted the authorities.

Days later, police discovered the decomposing remains of the two women inside a pigsty on the farm.

Investigators and prosecutors stated that the bodies had been given to the pigs in a horrific attempt to destroy evidence.

The matter is stood down to February 22, 2027.