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“Cosa Nostra Diamonds” - Sicilian mafia – Louis Liebenberg - Part 2

https://mafiainafrica.investigativecenters.org/2015/04/16/cosa-nostra-diamonds.html
Apr 16, 2015

Below are excerpts

The Ferrante Family

Antonino Messicati Vitale, or Tony as he is called in Africa, has a strong blood connection to the continent. His great-uncle Salvatore Ferrante Sr emigrated to South Africa at the end of 50s and immediately established a large family.

In the 60s Salvatore married a South African woman, Wilhelmina Marais, with whom he would have six children: Salvatore Jr, Giuseppina, Alberto, Anna Maria, Carmelo and Bianca. It is clear even from their social networking profiles that the Ferrantes are a tight, Italian style family, combining a love of family with a love of the good life. Posted on their Facebook pages are scores of pictures of expensive cars, luxury homes and racehorses. The family also have a pet tiger.

Little is known about Ferrante Sr’s first steps in South Africa. Perhaps Salvatore was just a young immigrant from poverty stricken Sicily, seeking to find his fortune in new surroundings. But this seems unlikely. Sources agree that Ferrante Sr moved quickly into the gold business, notably the mines of Springs, east of Johannesburg in the Gauteng region.