Botanists’ murder case adjourned

A TRIO of alleged Islamic State sympathisers accused of kidnapping, robbing and killing an elderly couple in the north of the province appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Married botanists Rachel and Rodney Saunders, dual British and South African passport holders, went missing between February 10 and 15 last year at or near Bivane Dam in the Vryheid area, where they were thought to be searching for rare plants.

Their bodies were found later in the year after allegedly being dumped over the Tugela River bridge.

The case made international headlines and prompted speculation that IS sympathisers and ideological adherents were more active in the country than previously suspected.

Accused Fatima Patel and Sayefudeen Del Vecchio – married under Islamic rights – and 36-year-old Malawian Ahmad Mussa were not present in court due to security concerns around transporting them from prison during the elections.

At their last appearance in December, the State had asked for an adjournment, indicating it needed to finalise the services of a UK-based expert.

The expert was to provide a report on terrorism and digital downloads allegedly found in the possession of the accused.

The adjournment was also necessary for additional time to serve a provisional indictment on the accused, the court was told. There was no clarity at that appearance if a notice of trial would be issued with the indictment.

But the court heard yesterday that an indictment was still awaited.

The matter was adjourned until May 14.

The case prompted speculation that IS sympathisers were more active in SA than previously suspected