Farmer's double murder trial stalls over gun tests

The trial of a South African pig farmer accused of killing two women, including a Zimbabwean national, has been postponed after the defence failed to provide key ballistic evidence to prosecutors.

The case involves 60-year-old farmer Zachariah Olivier and his two employees, Adriaan De Wet (19) and William Musoro (45), the Zimbabwean, who allegedly shot and killed a South African woman and a Zimbabwean woman in August 2024 before dumping their bodies in a pigsty on a farm in Sebayeng, outside Mankweng, Limpopo.

Mashudu Dzhangi-Malabi, regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Limpopo, said the matter could not proceed at the Polokwane High Court due to missing ballistic documentation.

"The defence team of Accused 1 (Zachariah Olivier) failed to provide the state with the copy of the private ballistic report. This made it impossible for the state to proceed as it would constitute unfair litigation," Dzhangi-Malabi said. She added that the report was intended to be used during cross-examination of a State witness.

The court has now rescheduled the trial to 22 October 2025, allowing the defence time to submit the report. The State's fourth witness is still under cross-examination.

Olivier and his co-accused face eight charges, including two counts of murder. Investigations began after a 45-year-old South African woman went missing on 17 August 2024 while visiting the farm with a 35-year-old Zimbabwean woman and her 47-year-old husband, who survived the attack.

The bodies of the victims, found in the pig enclosure with gunshot wounds, were later recovered. William Musoro's wife, Ndlovu, has since been repatriated to Zimbabwe and buried with the assistance of the Zimbabwean Embassy in South Africa.