Murder accused barricaded himself in his home for hours before arrest: cop

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

This emerged during the bail application of murder accused farmer Philip Solomon in the New Hanover Magistrate’s court on Tuesday. The 65-year-old man 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 which lies 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 had said in a statement read before 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.

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

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

Mchunu revealed that they had negotiated with the farmer for about two hours before he eventually relinquished his gun and opened the door.

Mchunu’s account is incongruent with the statement of the farmer‚ who said that he was a victim forced to act in self defence.

The murder revealed a rift between farmers and those who dwell on their land.

Last week‚ following Solomon’s first appearance in court‚ his life-partner‚ Marie Bucher‚ was attacked on their property and badly assaulted.

Mchunu is expected to face cross-examination by Solomon’s legal team on Wednesday as the bail application continues.