The body of a 67-year-old man was found with his hands and feet tied up at his home in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, police said on Tuesday.
Police spokesperson Col Priscilla Naidu said the gardener found the body when he reported for work on Monday.
The gardener noticed his bicycle was not there and he went to the house to see if the man was there.
"The door and security gate were open and after receiving no response from calling out the owner, he returned to the yard.
"The gardener became suspicious when the owner didn’t come out and he went back to the door, calling out his name," Naidu said.
After receiving no response, the gardener went inside the house and found the owner lying on the floor with a wound to his head. The gardener sought help from the neighbours and the police were called to the scene.
Naidu said the house was ransacked and the safe had been opened. It was still unclear what was taken from the house. The man had lived on his own.
A case of murder and house robbery had been opened. No arrests have been made.
