Cop tells of negotiation with farmer

POLICE negotiated with a KwaZulu-Natal farmer for two hours after he locked himself in his home following a deadly shooting.

This emerged during the bail application of murder accused Philip Solomon in the New Hanover Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

The 65-year-old was arrested at his farm in Cramond after allegedly shooting a former employee.

Mothiwa Ngubane‚ who once worked for Solomon‚ had been attending a funeral at a homestead against a hillside on the farmer’s land.

Solomon had seemingly tried to stop the burial, which led to a heated argument and culminated in the death of Ngubane‚ who was shot three times.

Solomon said in a statement read out in court earlier in the day that he had felt threatened by a group of mourners and had drawn his gun to protect himself.

Investigating officer Sibusiso Mchunu told magistrate Fikile Luvuno that the version of events proffered by witnesses differed substantially from Solomon’s account.

He said that when Solomon had tried to stop the burial, the mourners had intervened‚ eventually causing him to leave the homestead entirely.

“The information is that he left for three to five minutes. When he returned, he walked to the grave and fired two shots at a man who was laying blankets on the coffin‚” he said.

“The deceased apparently tried to reason with him and he was shot three times at close range.”

Solomon then barricaded himself in his home‚ prompting a standoff with police.

The bail application continues today.