Gardener accused of killing elderly Ottery couple 'wants to confess'

A Cape Town gardener accused of killing his elderly employers wants to confess.

Gcinile Ngcobela, 29, appeared in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court on Monday alongside 20-year-old Lwazi Ntsibantsiba. The men are accused of robbing and strangling Rugaya and Riedwaan Addinall – both 82 – in their home in Ottery, Cape Town, on January 6.

A stuttering Ngcobela told the court that he had informed the investigation officer about his intentions to confess, but nothing had come of it. He said he also wanted to appoint a lawyer but he was not given an opportunity to make calls. He opted for a Legal Aid lawyer.

"I wanted to make a confession," he told the court. "I told the investigating officer but I could not get the opportunity. I have my own attorney but I was not allowed to make a call. I will take (Legal Aid)".

Said Ntsibantsiba: "I wanted to call my uncle and ask him what to do but the investigating officer did not give me an opportunity to do so. He said he would make the call himself."

The men are facing two counts of murder as well as robbery with aggravating circumstances and attempted theft charges.

Prosecutor Nicky Konisi said Ngcobela had been employed by the couple as a gardener for a number of years. Konisi said both men had been caught on video footage entering the home. She said they fed the couple rat poison and strangled them.

"They were seen entering the premises, they were seen attempting to steal a vehicle and a microwave,” said Konisi. "The vehicle had no battery."

Konisi said the two had been found in possession of the deceased’s property and the rat poison. She said Ngcobela’s fingerprints were found on the couple’s vehicle and microwave, and that Ngcobela had a pending murder case in Nyanga dating back to 2016.

Ngcobela insisted: "I want to make a confession and tell the whole story."

Magistrate Goolam Bawa said his lawyer would consult him about it. Bawa postponed the matter to February 5 for a formal bail application.

A seemingly defeated Ngcobela, in a Sundowns T-shirt, limped down the staircase to the holding cells.