Convicted killers Bibi Fatima Patel, her husband, Sayefudeen Aslam Del Vecchio, the three individuals convicted in the kidnapping and murder of the Saunders couple.
The Durban High Court has sentenced three convicted killers to double life imprisonment and an additional 23 years behind bars for the kidnapping, robbery and murder of internationally renowned botanists Dr Rodney Saunders and Dr Rachel Saunders.
Fatima Bibi Patel, Sayefudeen Aslam Del Vecchio and Musa Jackson were found guilty of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft and two counts of murder in connection with the couple's disappearance and deaths in KwaZulu-Natal in February 2018.
The Saunders, who held dual South African and British citizenship and lived in Cape Town, had travelled to the Ngoye Forest after filming a BBC documentary in the Drakensberg.
“On February 8, 2018, the Saunders arrived in the Ngoye Forest in search of rare and unique seeds. They were travelling with research equipment and camping gear when they were accosted by the accused,” said NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara.
