Three convicted for murder of British botanists in KZN

Rachel and Rodney Saunders were murdered in 2018, the suspects responsible have been convicted. The KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court in Durban has convicted Fatima Bibi Patel, Sayefudeen Aslam Del Vecchio and Musa Jackson oncharges of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft and two counts of murder. Del Vecchio was also convicted of malicious injury to property.

The convictions stem from the kidnapping and murder of renowned British botanists Dr Rodney Saunders and Dr Rachel Saunders in the Ngoya Forest in Zululand between 8 and 14 February 2018. The couple had travelled to the forest in search of rare and unique seeds after completing filming for a BBC documentary in the Drakensberg. On 8 February 2018, the Saunders were travelling with research equipment and camping gear when they were accosted, kidnapped and robbed by the accused.

The court heard that the accused gained access to banking applications on the couple’s mobile phones and carried out numerous transactions and cash withdrawals totalling more than R700,000. The Saunders were latermurdered and their bodies were discovereda week later on the banks of the Tugela River. In a separate matter, Del Vecchio was found guilty of malicious injury to property after setting fire to three Tongaat Hulett farms between Sibaya and Umdloti in September 2017.

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The court found that the arson followed the company’s refusal to allow him access to the farms. The fire caused extensive damage to sugarcane crops, resulting in estimated losses of about R2.3 million. The case has been postponed to 19 June 2026 for sentencing proceedings.All three convicted individuals remain in custody.

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