A hunting tragedy, that took the life of a young man, has elicited an outpouring of grief and tributes to Rainer Carl Wellman on social media and on other platforms.
Rainer (23), who had recently returned from the USA where he worked on a farm, was hunting for wild pigs on the farm, Friendschap at Mthonjaneni in the Melmoth area on Saturday morning.
Major Thulani Zwane, SAPS spokesman, said shortly after 8.40am, one of Rainer’s friends spotted a pig and shot and killed it.
A family spokesman said a pellet of the discarded shotgun shell punctured one of Rainer’s lungs. His friends rushed him to Melmoth Hospital where he police said was certified dead on arrival.
Major Zwane said a police investigation is continuing. A firearm, allegedly used during the hunting expedition, was confiscated.
“It will be sent for ballistic tests to establish if it was used in the commission of an offence. No arrest made at this stage pending further investigation,” he said.