Farm owner to appear in court for allegedly shooting worker
A 47-year-old farm owner has been arrested after shooting an employee he allegedly mistook for a monkey.
The 55-year-old farm employee had been shot at a farm in Letsitele yesterday.
Limpopo police spokesperson Motlafelo Mojapelo says: "It is alleged the victim, Mathanene Ishmael, was on duty when he was sent by his foreman to go and fetch a pick from the storeroom. On his way back and riding his bicycle, he was allegedly shot in the head by his employer."
It's alleged he used a pellet gun to shoot the victim.
This is the second such incident in Limpopo where people have been shot when allegedly mistaken for an animal. There has also been a similar incident in KZN over the weekend.
The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, warns gun owners to properly identify their target before making use of their firearms.
"I want to issue a strong warning to anyone with the tendency of shooting at human beings believing them to be animals that the police will act swiftly in arresting them," laments Ledwaba.
The firearm used during the incident has been confiscated.
The suspect will appear in the Ritavi Magistrate's Court tomorrow on a charge of attempted murder.
However, the farm worker's employer and the owner of the farm says the suspect is not a farmer.
"He is also not the employer of the farm worker or in any way related to the employer of the farm worker who was shot.
"The person responsible for the shooting is indeed a tenant in one of the houses located on the farm. To the best of our knowledge, he is a Christian missionary, but certainly not a farmer."
He says the police's statement which alleges the shooter mistook the farm worker for a monkey is untrue.
"A shot was fired with a pellet gun on a monkey, missing the monkey and instead hitting the farm worker who was riding his bicycle at the time."