Farm shooting not a racial attack

The man who was arrested for shooting a black farm worker, mistaking him for a monkey at a Lestitele farm on Wednesday (March 8) was granted bail.

Johan Potgieter was granted a R5000 bail by Magistrate Refiloe Pule at the Ritavi Magistrate Court on Friday (March 10) in Nkowankowa Township.

Some of the reasons which Magistrate Pule gave for granting the bail includes, no sign of fleeing the country by the accused, the victim is not fearful of the accused and the two men have a good relationship.

On the affidavit which the accused’s lawyer read, it said that Potgieter was at his rented farm home and monkeys came by and he took his air rifle shooting at them trying to chase them away and on the process the victim came in while he was firing at the monkeys and was shot.

Potgieter immediately ran to the victim and took him to hospital where he was treated and was discharged on the same day.

“It was not racially motivated but an unfortunate mistake,” said Anita Campbell, Potgieter’s lawyer.

The accused offered to pay for the medical bills and he also went to the police station where he reported the incident and the next day the police went to the accused house and arrested him.

When Magistrate Pule asked Warrant Officer, Patrick Mushwana, who was investigating the case if he thought the matter was a racial motivated case he said based on his investigations on the matter he does not think it was a racially motivated case.

“I think it is time as the nation to start saying things like it a South African shooting a South African not, a white person shooting a black person, ” said Johan Potgieter, the accused.

The case was remanded to April 28 and investigations continues.

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