A 29-year-old farmworker died on Saturday morning after he was accidentally shot by his employer during an alleged hunting spree on Farm Choiganab No. 262 in the Grootfontein district.

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) Unit Commander for Community Affairs, Inspector Maureen Mbeha, told Nampa on Sunday that the incident occurred at 00h30 and that the deceased has been identified by his relatives as Jacob Kache.

It is alleged the suspect and his seven workers, including Kache, were on a hunting mission for some kudu animals, which allegedly feed on his crops of maize and beans inside his farm, when Kache was hit once in the back and died.

"Kache and his colleague reportedly jumped from the back of the vehicle in order to slit the throat of a kudu, while the employer was still continuing to shoot at the same animal, and in the process accidentally shot him to death," Mbeha said.

The 38-year-old male suspect has been arrested on a culpable homicide charge and is expected to appear in the Grootfontein Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Workers on the farm would normally slit the throat of a hunted animal in order to prevent blood clotting, as the animal meat is meant for consumption, added Mbeha.

She said the police have so far confiscated a 3006 hunting rifle, which was fitted with a telescope and suspected to have been used in the shooting, as well as a gun silencer and two packets of live ammunition from the suspect.

The seized items were booked on Saturday at the Grootfontein Police Station as court exhibits.

The police investigation into the matter continues.