South Africa: Life Sentences for Three Men in Botanist Couple's Murder

Three men have been handed life sentences by a South African court for the murder of British botanists Rod and Rachel Saunders. The couple, who were joint directors of a global seed bank, disappeared in February 2018 while on a plant-collecting trip in the KwaZulu-Natal province.

Sayefundeen Aslam Del Vecchio, 39, Mussa Ahmad Jackson, 35, and Fatima Patel, 28, were convicted of kidnapping, robbery, and murder. Patel also received an additional 15-year sentence for theft.

Rod and Rachel Saunders, originally from northern Kent, were travelling through South Africa collecting rare seeds and plants for their business, World Garden Plants. Their last known contact was a video interview with a local broadcaster at the Drakensberg Mountains. Following their disappearance, a large-scale search operation was initiated. Their bodies were discovered days later in a river by fishermen, after their vehicle had been located and linked to the accused.

During the trial, evidence revealed that the couple had been targeted, robbed of cash, and then murdered. The prosecution detailed how the accused had drained significant sums of money from the Saunders' bank accounts following their abduction. The court found that the perpetrators had shown no remorse for their actions.