The State has
officially withdrawn charges against farm supervisor Rudolph De Wet, accused
number two in the murder case involving the deaths of two women whose bodies
were allegedly fed to pigs on a farm near Polokwane last year.
Rodulph on the right
Zachariah
Olivier, 62, a farmer, and his employees, Rodulph De Wet, 20, and William
Musora, 48, allegedly shot and killed Maria Makgato and Kudzai Ndlovu in
Sebayeng, outside Polokwane, in August 2024.
The victims
were reportedly searching for food on the farm when they were attacked.
The State
alleges that after the women were murdered and their bodies were fed to pigs in
an attempt to destroy evidence.
The decomposed
remains were discovered in a pig enclosure later that month.
The three men
appeared at the Polokwane High Court on Thursday.
Olivier is
accused number one, De Wet number two, and Musora number three.
According to
Limpopo National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu
Malabi-Dzhangi, the charges against De Wet have been provisionally withdrawn
after he turned state witness under Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act.
“Accused number
two (De Wet) has turned to be a state witness under Section 204, which means
that his charges have been withdrawn for now and he’s going to testify,”
Malabi-Dzhangi said.
She explained
that De Wet’s charges would be permanently dropped only if the court finds that
he testifies "frankly and honestly."
The defence for
accused number one, Olivier, has requested a postponement to conduct its
investigation following De Wet’s decision to testify against his co-accused.
The trial,
which began on Monday, has been postponed and is scheduled to resume from
October 6 to 17, 2025.
The accused are
facing charges of murder, attempted murder,
for allegedly shooting at Ndlovu’s husband during the incident -
possession of an unlicensed firearm, and obstructing justice.
Musora, a
Zimbabwean national, faces an additional charge under the Immigration Act for
allegedly being in the country illegally.
De Wet, who was
working as a supervisor on Olivier’s farm at the time of the murders, testified
this week that Olivier was the one who shot and killed the two women. IOL
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