Two South African farm workers, who police believe hurled the fruit at a fellow worker during an argument, have been arrested.
Lt Col Moatshe Ngoepe of Limpopo Police said: "They started pelting the deceased with all those loose oranges, killing him on the spot."
The victim had no ‘visible injury’ which suggests he died as a result of a blunt trauma.
The results of an autopsy have not yet been released.
The suspects are aged 27 and 30.
The incident happened at a farm in Tzaneen, northern South Africa.
It is thought to be the first orange-related death.