Johannesburg (AFP) - Two farmworkers have been arrested for allegedly killing a colleague by pelting him with oranges, South African police said Wednesday.

A quarrel on a farm outside Tzaneen in the northern Limpopo province on Monday turned deadly when the two men armed themselves with fruit, said Lieutenant-Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe.

"Babanto Chauke, 38, and two men had a quarrel. The two allegedly started throwing loose oranges at him until he died," Ngoepe said.

"The paramedics found that the man was dead when they arrived on the scene. He had been hit very badly by oranges."

A post-mortem would be carried out to determine the cause of death and the two accused, aged 27 and 30, were due to appear in court later Wednesday, he said.