The case of farm owner Zachariah Olivier and his two employees, Rudolph de Wet and William Musora, has caused outrage across the country. They allegedly shot and killed Maria Makgato and Kudzai Ndlovu in August at Onvervaght farm in Sebayeng outside Polokwane, Limpopo and dumped their bodies in a pig enclosure.
The trio appeared in court yesterday, Wednesday, 6 November, and the case has been postponed to 18 February 2025. However, this disturbing incident has raised many questions, one of them about farmers taking the law into their own hands.
IOL reported the men shot Makgato and Ndlovu and wounded Ndlovu’s husband, Mabutho Ncube, who had entered Olivier’s farm to collect expired goods dumped by a commercial truck.
‘Farmers must comply with the laws’
Political parties, farmer unions and civil societies have called for harsh sentences for farmers found guilty of crimes.
In a written response from the minister of agriculture John Steenhuisen to Economic Freedom Fighters member of parliament Leigh-Ann Matthys, Steenhuisen said the incident in Limpopo was under criminal investigation.
Khayelihle Khumalo, media officer for the Agricultural Food and Allied Democratic Workers Union (Afadwu), condemned the practice of taking the law into one’s own hands, citing examples of aggression and violence of farmers against farmworkers.
“They need to follow proper channels, as South Africa is a country governed by labour laws. Farmers do not respect the laws of this country. They don’t treat farms as workplaces governed by the Labour Relations Act (LRA). It is our feeling that they should comply with the laws like any employer,” he said.
The president of the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (Giwusa), Mametlwe Sebei, said an active struggle and campaigning to actively combat racism and every form of discrimination and violence is needed especially in the agricultural community.
“We demand justice for the victims and their families and full prosecution and life sentences without the possibility of parole for the perpetrators of this crime,” he said.
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Unreliable justice system
Meanwhile, Bennie van Zyl, the general manager of the Transvaal Agricultural Union (TLU SA), expressed concerns over the inefficiencies within the South African Police Service in addressing cases reported by farmers.
He called for significant reforms to restore public trust in law enforcement. He also emphasised the importance of reporting crime but acknowledged the challenges farmers face when attempting to do so.
“When there’s any crime, we have to report it to the police and they should act, investigate, and bring people to court. That’s the principle, and we stick to that,” Van Zyl said.
However, Van Zyl highlighted the reality that many farmers struggle to get their cases heard. “Quite often, when farmers go to the police to report a crime, the police don’t even want to open the case. Now, what should that farmer do?” he said.
According to Van Zyl, TLU SA has created channels to address these issues by escalating complaints to higher levels within the police.
“When our members encounter such problems, they report it to our head office, and we address it on a higher level. We ensure that the police station is held accountable, and they do their job in the future,” he added.
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