POLOKWANE – The three men accused of the Limpopo pigsty double murder case claim they have received death threats while in custody.
Zachariah Olivier and his co-accused, Rudolph de Wet and William Musora have to answer to the shooting and killing of Mariah Makgato and Kudzai Ndlovu and then dumping their bodies in a pigsty on Olivier’s farm, just outside Polokwane.
They appeared in the Polokwane Regional Court on Wednesday, where the case was postponed to 6 November 2024 for further investigation.
The three men accused of killing two Limpopo women and feeding their remains to pigs said they feared for their lives after receiving death threats while in custody.
READ: Limpopo pigsty murders: Police rubbish claims they were slow to respond
In a bid to get the court to bar the media from broadcasting the case, attorney Muhammed Valjee, representing de Wet and Musora, claimed his clients were being intimidated.
“They are experiencing threats while in custody due to the continued media footage being displayed of them. It’s really creating a problem for them while in custody,” said Valjee.
Prosecutor Advocate Lethabo Mashiane disputed their application not to have their case published.
“If the threat is coming from within the prison environment, we have got our commanders to deal with that,” said Mashiane.
Magistrate Ntilane Felleng ruled in favour of the media, saying the case was in the public interest.
NPA PLANS TO OPPOSE BAIL
Meanwhile, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Limpopo says the State will strongly oppose bail for three men accused of murdering two women and feeding their remains to pigs.
NPA spokesperson Mashudu Dzangi says due to matter on appeal, the case could not proceed with the planned bail applications today.
“If the high court is going to rule against the State, then we are going to proceed, and we will give the copies that they have requested.”
Dzangi added the trio’s charges are serious: “The offenses are very serious. We are going to oppose their bail applications.”
EWN
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