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The trial of Sayefundeen Aslam Del Vecchio, Bibi Fatima Patel and Mussa Ahmed Jackson has been set down from 16 May to 17 June 2022 in the Durban High Court.
Del Vecchio, Bibi Fatima Patel and Mussa Ahmed Jackson are charged with the kidnapping, robbery and murder of botanists Rodney Charles Saunders and Dr Rachel May Saunders in February 2018 in the Eshowe area. They are also charged with theft.
The Saunders lived in Cape Town and had dual UK and South African citizenship.
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According to KZN spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Natasha Kara, Del Vecchio is further charged with Malicious Injury to Property for the damage caused to sugar cane fields belonging to Tongaat Hulett in September 2017. The damage caused the company a loss of approximately R2.3 million.
When looking at the brutal murder of the Saunders, the NPA’s Indictment states that the couple left Cape Town on 5 February 2018 in their Toyota Land Cruiser to make a documentary film in the Northern Free State.
The NPA further states that the couple had their last communication with one of their employees on 8 February 2018, when they indicated that they would be camping at Bivane Dam near Vryheid, in KwaZulu-Natal.
Investigations into their last movements showed that they left Bivane Dam on 9 February 2018, and, moved around in various forests in the area south of the dam, spending 9 to 10 February in a forest south of the dam. This is shortly before being reported missing.
After receiving information regarding the couple’s disappearance, on Monday, 12 February 2018, the DPCI (Hawks) launched a full investigation into the kidnapping of the two adventurers.
Through the Hawks’ investigations, it was established that on 13 February 2018, Vecchio and the other two were withdrawing money from various ATMs. Additionally, they made several purchases with an FNB card that belonged to Dr Rachael Saunders.
Furthermore, Dr Rachael Saunders’s FNB account was linked to her cell phone number, and after an analysis of the cell phone data, Dr Rachel Saunders and Bibi Fatima Patel’s cell phones were at the same place, at exactly the same time on 10 February 2018, near the Ngoye Forest.
On 15 February 2018, Patel and Del Vecchio were arrested at their premises in the Endlovini area, and an authorised search and seizure were conducted at the premises.
However, Rodney and Rachel Saunders were not found at the premises, and the hunt for the missing victims continued.
But the search was not fruitless, with the NPA highlighting that during the search and seizure, several digital devices and other items relevant to the charges were confiscated.
These items included an inter alia a drone, a generator and “paint ball” equipment—all purchased with Dr Rachel Saunders’ bank card. Adding to this, a receipt from a purchase made at Cape Union Mart, alongside Dr Saunders’s bank card was recovered inside Patel’s handbag.
According to the NPA’s indictment, it was later established that the date and time on the receipt corresponded with the transactions on the victim’s FNB bank statement.
With this said, the NPA highlighted that an additional accused, Thembamandla Kwanele Xulu, was arrested on 26 February 2018, after he was found in possession of the victim’s cell phones.
The NPA explained in its indictment, that Xulu had inserted his sim card into a HUAWEI Y6 cell phone that had belonged to one of the deceased. This move subsequently led the police to his residence.
A separation of trial was requested by the State, and Xulu entered into a plea and sentence agreement in terms of section 105A in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act, Act 51 of 1977 with the State.
Following this, Mussa Ahmad Jackson was arrested on 23 March 2018. He made a statement to the effect that he was woken up by Patel at around 8 pm, on 10 February 2018, at the place where he resides with them.
Jackson claimed that Patel told him that they must meet Del Vecchio on the road. When they met Del Vecchio, he was apparently driving a Toyota and the duo then followed him, until they reached the Tugela River Bridge.
The trio then removed sleeping bags from the back of the Toyota, throwing the sleeping bags with human bodies into the Tugela River.
The victim’s Toyota land Cruiser was recovered on 19 February 2018, with a large amount of blood found in the vehicle’s cargo area.
It was later confirmed that the blood belonged to Dr Rachael Saunders. Her body was finally recovered on 14 February 2018 in the Tugela River. But was only identified on 6 June 2018. The body of Rodney Saunders was recovered in the Tugela River on 17 February 2018. But only identified on 25 April 2018.
It was reported that both bodies had suffered from blunt force trauma.
Moreover, the NPA stated that trousers with bloodstains on it, belonging to Del Vecchio was recovered during the search and seizure. It was established that the blood, belonged to the deceased: Rodney Saunders.
Furthermore, an analysis of the digital downloads of the trio’s cellphone devices revealed several communications via WhatsApp between them which included preparations to kill the couple, adopt their aliases and destroy infrastructure.
With the court case now set, what are your thoughts on the above-mentioned?
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One Response
What a gruesome unnecessary killing I hope they are locked away for life my sincere condolences to the deceased family and friends