Botanists Rodney and Rachel Saunders were kidnapped, robbed and then dumped in a river in 2018
Rodney and Rachel Saunders. Picture: Screenshot/YouTube
A Durban court has handed down double life sentences to three accused who kidnapped British botanists Rodney and Rachel Saunders while they were collecting indigenous plants, then robbed and murdered them before dumping their bodies in the uThukela River.
The KwaZulu-Natal Local Division of the High Court, sitting in Durban, sentenced Safdeen Aslam Del Vecchio (46), his wife Fatima Patel (35), and their co-accused Ahmed Jackson Musa on Thursday, 2 July, for the 2018 killings.
Kidnapped in the forest, dumped in the river
Rodney and Rachel Saunders were accosted near Ngoye Forest while busy collecting seeds and indigenous plants.
The court heard that the couple were kidnapped and robbed of their belongings, including bank cards, which the suspects then used around Durban to buy various items.
A few days later, the victims were killed and their bodies dumped in the uThukela River, where their remains were eventually found on the riverbank.
Hawks track suspects after kidnapping report
A kidnapping case was initially opened at Hlobane Police Station, triggering an investigation.
Members of the Hawks, Crime Intelligence and the police’s organised crime investigation unit worked together to trace the suspects.
On 15 February 2018, Del Vecchio and Patel were arrested.
A search of their residence uncovered items belonging to the deceased couple, tying them directly to the Saunders’ disappearance and deaths.
Musa was arrested three weeks later and charged alongside them.
Years-long trial and heavy sentences
The three appeared in court multiple times, and their bids for bail were unsuccessful.
Their trial finally began in April 2022 and was marked by repeated delays, but on 19 June 2026 the court found all three guilty, paving the way for Thursday’s sentencing.
Del Vecchio, Patel and Musa each received two life terms for the murders, plus 15 years’ imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances and four years for theft, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently.
Del Vecchio was given an additional five years for a separate malicious damage to property case, and all three were declared unfit to possess firearms.
