Malema’s lawyer to appear in court after allegedly shooting farmworkers

EFF leader Julius Malema’s lawyer, advocate Tumi Mokoena, on Thursday was reportedly arrested for allegedly shooting and injuring four people at a Limpopo farm, The Star reports.

According to the report, the shooting happened at Zebediela Citrus Farm outside Polokwane, where he was allegedly confronted by a group of workers armed with sticks and stones. He had apparently gone there to visit the farm to represent five workers who had salary disputes with management.

But Mokoena was accused by the group of failing to pay workers while he himself had been part of the farm’s management when he managed it in 2016. He allegedly stopped being part of the farm’s management when relations with its owners soured that year.

The group of workers, according to the report, accused him of increasing the salaries of a few employees while neglecting the rest. They allegedly wanted an explanation on their Unemployment Insurance Fund and tax deductions during his time as the manager of the farm.

The farm is owned by a group of land restitution beneficiaries known as the Bjatladi Communal Property Association (BCPA).

The workers allegedly demanded that Mokoena leave the property and charged at him while he was in the offices, and when he tried to leave, the workers are said to have blocked his way.

It was then that he allegedly shot at them and injured four employees, with one of the workers sustaining a serious gunshot wound.

Limpopo police said he fled the scene in his vehicle after the shooting.

“The injured employees were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds after receiving first aid from the local clinic,” said police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe.

Mokoena is expected to appear in the Lebowakgomo Magistrates’ Court today.

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