Farm workers accused of pelting colleague to death with oranges

Police said the men had argued, before they allegedly turned on the victim

Men in rural South Africa have been accused of killing a man with oranges (MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP/Getty Images)

Police in South Africa have launched an investigation as two rural farm workers are suspected of pelting their colleague to death with oranges.

The man died after the suspects allegedly argued with him, before they collected oranges and began throwing them at him, police Lt. Col. Moatshe Ngoepe said citing witness accounts.

“They started pelting the deceased with all those loose oranges, killing him on the spot,” Ngoepe said of the incident which took place near the town of Tzaneenm in the Limpopo province of northern South Africa.

Mr Ngoepe cautioned that an investigation was still underway and aspects of a case he described as “complicated” still had to be verified.

The man was declared dead at the scene and he had no “visible injury,” suggesting he may have suffered blunt trauma, according to Ngoepe. He did not comment on the cause of the argument that led to the assault.

The suspects were detained Tuesday and later released pending formal charges, which could include murder.

Police and prosecutors are now awaiting the results of an autopsy in the hope it will uncover more details of the man’s death.

Additional reporting by AP