S African man, 100, stabbed to death for TV set

JOHANNESBURG, Mar 3 (Reuters) A 100-year-old South African man was stabbed to death in his home for a television set and some clothes, a newspaper reported today, in a case that highlights the country's notorious crime problem.

The Saturday Star said four robbers broke into the home of Herbert James Downs in the south-eastern region of KwaZulu Natal. A domestic worker found his body.

A string of brutal murders has shocked even crime-inured South Africans in recent months in a country blighted by some of the highest violent crime rates.

Crime has come into focus as South Africa prepares for the 2010 soccer World Cup.

REUTERS SP PM1652