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Farmer tortured to death
24/11/2006 21:17 - (SA)
Johannesburg - The body of a 47-year-old man was found in his farmhouse on Friday with his hands and feet tied up, said East Rand police.
Antonio Pestana's body was discovered by his brother at his farmhouse in Rondebult, Germiston, at 07:00, said superintendent Andy Pieke.
He was thought to have been hit repeatedly with a clothes iron and burnt with boiling water, apparently by robbers trying to find out where the keys to the safe were.
"He must have suffered terribly before his death," said his brother, Joao Pestana.
Pestana and his brother had coffee together every morning before they went to work. Pestana was a vegetable farmer.
He said his brother's death left a terrible emptiness in his life as he didn't know who he would have coffee with anymore.
He said his brother was a popular man with friends all over the country. He could not believe anyone would want to do this to him.
Although blood was found on the floor, no marks were found suggesting that he had been stabbed.
"A post-mortem will soon be conducted," said Pieke.
At this stage only a cellphone had been reported missing from the house, which had been ransacked.
Pieke said: "It is believed that entry to the house was gained through a bathroom window as the burglar bars had been forced open."
Pestana who lived alone was last seen alive at 20:00 on Thursday. - Additional reporting by Beeld
- SAPA
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