* Please read: Setting the record straight on 'monkey' farm shooting
Johannesburg – A 55-year-old farm worker was shot at by a farmer who said he had mistaken him for a monkey in Letsitele, Limpopo, police said on Thursday.
Police spokesman Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said Ishmael Mathanene was carrying out his duties at Novengilla farm when his foreman sent him 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 and fell down. The suspect claimed he mistook him for a monkey. He allegedly used a pellet gun to shoot the victim," Mojapelo said.
Mathanene, from Mariveni village outside Tzaneen, was taken to the hospital with head injuries.
"This is the second incident within two months where people are mistaken to be animals and then shot at. The firearm that was used during the incident has been confiscated," said Mojapelo.
Limpopo police commissioner Nneke Ledwaba condemned the behaviour by gun owners, especially farmers, who shoot without knowing what they were shooting at.