Alleged Isis trio matter adjourned as all criminal trials in KZN put on hold

The trial of three alleged Isis acolytes accused of kidnapping and murdering British botanists Rodney and Rachel Saunders has been adjourned to March 8.

Sayfudeen Aslam Del Vecchio‚ his wife Fatima Patel and their Malawian boarder, Ahmad “Bazooka” Mussa, did not appear at the Durban high court for their trial on Monday as all criminal trials in the province have been put on hold because of Covid-19.

This followed a directive by KZN deputy judge president Achmat Jappie last week in which he announced that all matters on the high court roll from January 18 to February 19 would be postponed to a holding date. Jappie's directive, which TimesLIVE is in possession of, emphasised that the physical appearance of people in court should be the last resort.

Del Vecchio, Patel and Mussa are charged with the kidnapping and murder of British-born Cape Town botanists Rod and Rachel Saunders in February 2018. They also face charges of theft and counts relating to the contravention of the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act.

They were arrested after the disappearance of the couple, who had been touring northern KwaZulu-Natal in search of rare plants and seeds. Less than a week after the elderly botanists went missing, the police pounced on Del Vecchio's hilltop camp in the foothills of the Endlovini area, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The police allege that Del Vecchio planned and executed the killings.

The matter has recently been plagued by delays, with consultation being an issue since Del Vecchio and Mussa were transferred to Ebongweni maximum security prison in Kokstad after prison officials said they had uncovered a plot which would jeopardise the facility in May last year.

Patel remains at Durban's Westville prison.

The accused recently acquired the services of renowned advocate Jimmy Howse after abandoning legal aid, but it is unclear who is paying their legal fees.

Farhad Hoomer, the Durban businessman who had been implicated in the 2018 Verulam mosque attack and a series of firebomb attacks at retail outlets in the months that followed, declined to comment when TimesLIVE asked him if he was paying for the trio's legal team.

TimesLIVE