Pig farm murder lawyer refuses to have farmer’s confession admitted as evidence

The lawyer of the owner of theLimpopo farmwhere two women were shot and killed and their bodies fed to pigs has refused to have his client’s confession statement admitted as evidence in court, saying he was not legally represented at the time he confessed. Arguing at the Polokwane high court on Thursday, Jacobus Venter said his client,Zacharia Olivier, had not even been read his rights at the time his confession statement was taken at Botlokwa police station in August 2024. Olivier was arrested on August 21, after the bodies ofMaria Makgato and Lucadia Ndlovuwere found eaten by pigs on his farm.

The two women were shot while scavenging for expired food on Olivier’s farm and their bodies thrown into a pigsty afterwards. He was taken to Botlokwa police station the next day to give a confession statement. Lt-Col Simon Mafukaduvha told the court on Thursday that he read Olivier his rights before taking his statement, a process that lasted from 7.50pm until 8.45pm.

Venter asked if it was a regular occurrence that this kind of a statement was taken during those hours. “There is no specific time to take such a statement,” Mafukaduvha replied. Speaking through his lawyer, Olivier said he was not given an opportunity to be represented by his lawyer at the time.

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According to Venter, it was the duty of the police officer taking the statement to check if he had been warned and if he had the opportunity to consult his lawyers. Mafukaduvha said it was just his duty to take the statement from Olivier. He said his commander had told him that a suspect was ready to give a statement.

“When he got arrested, those who arrested him should have told him of his rights to get legal representation. But he did tell me that he did not have a legal representative. He said he would inform us of his choice for a lawyer when we got to court.

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