A Bronkhorstspruit businessman told the High Court in Pretoria on Monday about a farm robbery that left his wife dead.

Lars Schonken was testifying in the trial of George Khoza (27) of Tembisa.

Khoza is accused of murdering Schonken's wife Isabel, attempting to murder Schonken and robbing them of computer equipment, a cellphone and a handbag at their smallholding outside Bronkhorstspruit in September 2009.

Khoza pleaded not guilty to the charges, saying he had an alibi as he had spent the night at home in Ivory Park with his girlfriend.

Schonken testified that he had gone to lie down while his wife watched television that night after an evening with their son and his fiancée.

Although the electrical fence around their property was switched on, he had not put on the alarm or locked the door as he intended going out on patrol later in the evening.

This was because of previous incidents with suspected robbers on the smallholding.

When he woke up, he saw three men standing in his room. One of them demanded money.

When he saw his wife coming towards the bedroom, he realised they were in danger, although he did not realise his assailants were armed.

"I grabbed the one nearest to me. Then things became very confused. Everyone jumped on me.

"One had a tall stick with a hammerhead on it and tried to hit me... They managed to hit me on the head.

"At the same time a shot went off and I felt a burning pain in my chest.

"I realised I had been shot. I passed out.

"I don't know how long I lay there. When I woke up I was very confused, but I managed to push the panic button," he said.

Schonken also phoned his daughter as blood was running down his face.

He took his firearm out of the safe and was on his way to search for his wife when he realised the door was standing open.

He went outside and fired a few shots into the air to draw his neighbours' attention.

By then his daughter's husband had arrived and found his wife's body.

Schonken spent six days in the intensive care unit and metal plates had to be inserted into his head and arm as a result of the injuries he sustained.

Arao Mabasa testified that Khoza, a friend of his uncle, whom he referred to as "Uncle Joe", had offered him a cellphone for sale and told him it came from a house where someone had been killed.

He did not have the R700 Khoza demanded. The phone was eventually sold to one of his friends for R500.

Mabasa said he had to be taken into protective custody because Khoza and his friends had threatened to kill him if he talked.

Khoza's counsel put it to Mabasa that he was fabricating his story and that Khoza knew nothing about a cellphone.

Investigating officer Constable Simon Malesa testified that Schonken's wife's cellphone had led members of the high tech unit to Mabasa, who identified Khoza as the man who had shown him the cellphone and was present when he was arrested.

The trial continues.