An 18-year-old boy died after he was allegedly shot by a farmer who suspected him of stealing his litchis.

Anele Ziko, who was a grade 11 learner at Luvunywa high school in Langeloop village outside Malelane, Mpumalanga, was shot at the back on Thursday, allegedly by Sarel du Plessis, 45, who owns a farm near the village.

According to the victim’s mother Flora Khoza, her son went to the farm to look for part-time job as schools are closed. He was with his friends.

“We are poor here at home and we don’t have money to spend on Christmas, so as the norm when schools are closed our children in this village go to the farms to look for piece (temporary) jobs to get money for their clothes and whatever they want for Christmas.

“But this time my son was shot dead just for going near the farm looking for a job. It’s hard to bear the pain,” Khoza said. She said Anele was with two friends when he was shot.