The conduct of four men, sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a Winterton farmer, whom they had also burnt with an electric iron along with his wife, was described on Thursday as cold, callous and cruel.
Pietermaritzburg High Court Acting Judge Anand Maharaj said the men exhibited sadistic tendencies when they inflicted pain on Mohamed Engar, 67, and his wife, Razia, 58, on December 5, 2013, at Noodhulp farm where Engar ran a milling business.
“Burning them with an iron was nothing short of barbarism and torture.”
He said Engar was an elderly person. He had been tied and subdued with his hands behind his back and posed no threat to the men who had been armed with firearms and a knife.
His post-mortem results indicated a severe beating. “The deceased would have endured a substantial amount of pain from the injuries. One can safely say he was tortured.”
Sifiso Mabuza, 32, Lindelani Mtshali, 25, Sabelo Ndlovu, 32, and Mduduzi Nene, 37, were sentenced to an additional 15 years on two counts of robbery and five years for attempting to murder farm employee Lebaka Fortunate Tsotetsi…
South Africa Today – South Africa News
