Three men have been handed life sentences by the Durban High Court for the kidnapping, robbery and murder of British botanists Rachel and Rodney Saunders in February 2018.
The Saunders, aged 64 and 73, were abducted while walking through the Ngoye Forest some 150 kilometres north of Durban as they collected indigenous plants and seeds. The bodies were found days later in the Tugela river.
Saffydeen Aslam del Vecchio (46), his wife Fatima Patel (35) and Malawian national Ahmad Mussa were convicted of the murders and each received two life terms.
The trio were also found guilty of stealing the couple’s belongings, including bank cards that were used to buy goods near Durban, according to a police statement link.
After Rachel and Rodney vanished on 10 February 2018, their car was discovered with blood stains and 734,000 rand (about $44,700) was withdrawn from their bank accounts.
In addition to the life terms, each accused was sentenced to 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances and four years for theft; del Vecchio also received five years for malicious damage to property in a separate case. All sentences will run concurrently.
Patel had been arrested in 2016 during an anti‑terrorism raid near Johannesburg; her brother was also detained but neither faced charges. Police later revealed that Patel and del Vecchio had reportedly raised an Islamic State flag in the same reserve where the couple disappeared.
Rachel and Rodney held dual South African and British citizenship and ran a seed business in Cape Town. They were in KwaZulu‑Natal on a research trip with equipment and camping gear when they were abducted, the National Prosecuting Authority said.
Del Vecchio and Patel were arrested on 15 February 2018, with authorities finding the couple’s property and personal items during a search. Musa was apprehended three weeks later and charged.
