Killers of British botanists to be sentenced in Durban after eight-year wait

Staff Reporter

The three people convicted of kidnapping, robbing and murdering husband and wife British botanists Dr Rodney Saunders and Dr Rachel Saunders are expected to be sentenced in the Durban High Court on Thursday, more than eight years after the couple was murdered during a seed-collecting trip in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Fatima Bibi Patel, Sayefudeen Aslam Del Vecchio and Musa Jackson were convicted by the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court sitting in Durban on charges of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft and two counts of murder, in June.

Del Vecchio was also convicted of malicious damage to property.

The convictions relate to the kidnapping and murder of the Saunders between 8 and 14 February 2018 in the Ngoya Forest, Zululand. Before travelling to the forest, the couple had completed filming for a BBC documentary in the Drakensberg.

The Saunders arrived in the Ngoya Forest on 8 February 2018