South African farmers accused of killing women and feeding them to pigs in case that shocked the country

A man with the two women was injured and crawled to a nearby road to scream for help

Three men accused of killing two women and feeding their bodies to pigs, from right to left, farm-owner, Zachariah Olivier, supervisor, Adrian Rudolph de Wet and employee, William Musora appear in court Polokwane, South Africa, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024 (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Three men have appeared in court accused of killing two women and feeding their bodies to pigs on their farm in a case that has outraged the public in South Africa.

The men appeared in court on Tuesday in the northern province of Limpopo. The state wants them to remain behind bars until their trial is concluded.

Farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier, supervisor Andrian Rudolph de Wet and employee William Musora face two counts of premeditated murder, one count of attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

Musora, a Zimbabwean national, also faces charges of being in the country illegally.

It is alleged that in August, a truck belong to a dairy company dumped potentially expired goods at Olivier's farm, prompting the women, Locadia Ndlovu and Maria Makgatho, to trespass and try to collect the products.

Both were shot and killed. A man with them was injured and crawled to a nearby road to scream for help. He told police, who found the women's decomposed bodies in a pigsty.

Protestors demonstrate outside the court in Polokwane South Africa, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024 (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Several political parties protested outside Mankweng Magistrates Court, calling for the men to be denied bail and face the harshest possible sentence. The South African Human Rights Commission called on the public not to take the law into their hands in retaliation.

Violent crimes on South Africa's farms have been a concern for years, including the killing of farmers by criminals and farmers' abuse of workers.

The case will continue next month.