Defence questions investigative methodology in pig farm murder trial

Pig farmer Zachariah Olivier appears in the High Court in Polokwane, Limpopo on February 27, 2026.

The defence lawyer in the trial of a Limpopo farmer has questioned the investigating officer about why three different statements have been submitted in the High Court in Polokwane, Limpopo.

Adv Jakobus Venter has argued that he has not seen the accused’s second statement.

Venter is representing Zachariah Olivier, who is accused of shooting two women dead on Onverwacht Farm outside Polokwane in August two years ago.

Olivier’s co-accused, William Musora, faces an additional charge of contravening the Immigration Act.

The investigating officer, Phaladi Makola, has submitted warning, witness and confession statements.

The prosecution led Makola when he was testifying.

Venter asks: “What I’d like to understand is your investigative methodology where you come to a place where you’ve got a statement that has got one version that is completely different to a 217 that’s completely different to a 204 your the investigating officer, correct. How does it come to a place where you submit three statements to the state that contain three different versions?

Makola responded by saying, “My lady, the first statement that was deposed by me Mr Olivier to the police at the scene, he didn’t talk much about what happened and after this arrest, he gave the statement also with a version that is different from the first statement.”