‘Dodgy and unusual’: KZN double-murder accused’s store visit raised suspicion

“Dodgy and unusual.”

That’s how the former manager of a well-established SA outdoor retailer described the trio charged with the high-profile murder of two elderly botanists.

The witness, who the media have been barred from naming due to the sensitivity of the case, testified during the trial against Bibi Fatima Patel, 28, her partner Sayfudeen Aslam Del Vecchio, 39, and their Malawian co-accused, Mussa Ahmad Jackson, 35, who have been charged with the 2018 kidnapping and murder of SA-British citizens Rodney, 74, and Dr Rachel Saunders, 63.

On Tuesday the former manager of Cape Union Mart in the Pavilion Shopping Centre, Durban, took the stand in the Durban high court and described to judge Sharmaine Bolton how the trio entered the store on February 13 and 14 2018, respectively, purchasing a number of items and allegedly using Rachel’s FNB card to pay for the valuables. 

While almost R15,000 was be spent on six items in two purchases at the store, according to the indictment the trio stand accused of the theft of R734,000 worth of property and monies belonging to the Saunderses.

Testimony was heard amid a heavy presence of army personnel who wielded high-calibre weapons and manned each corner of the courtroom as Patel, Del Vecchio and Jackson appeared before the court. 

Patel and Del Vecchio resembled a pair of tainted lovers who had been torn apart and thrown into a living nightmare. 

While Del Vecchio, of Italian descent, gazed compassionately at Patel as the pair exchanged a flurry of subtle gestures and whispers, Jackson cut a forgotten figure beside them. 

Armed with their notepads, the trio put pen to paper, intently listening to the evidence given before them. 

According to the former store manager, the shopping episode seemed “dodgy and unusual” as the trio entered the store on both days just after 3.30pm and went about purchasing a drone, a spotlight torch, a pair of two-way radios and clothing items.

“The three accused walked into the store. Accused one (Patel), two (Del Vecchio) and three (Jackson) all arrived in the store together. They were talking to each other at the entrance of the store. They were together up until the centre of the store then split up. Accused one [Patel] walked into the ladies’ department, accused two [Del Vecchio] went to the tool shed, accused three [Mussa] went closer to the men’s clothing section.”

Del Vecchio allegedly interacted with a store employee enquiring about a drone and two-way radio before the employee took both items to the counter for payment. 

Suspicion mounted when Jackson allegedly appeared at the counter to pay for the items while Del Vecchio and Patel stood a distance away and “focused on the sale and what was going on”. 

The witness, furnished with receipts for the purchases of both days, was asked to corroborate his testimony in line bar-codes of the items purchased and the invoices provided to him by the state.

“Accused three [Mussa] punched in the pin for the card to be approved for the transaction. Once the transaction was approved all three accused walked out of the store together with the items. The receipt shows a ‘pause entry chip’ which means the card was inserted and pin punched in as well.”

On February 14 2018 the trio allegedly entered the store again, this time Patel carrying a child as they perused different sections.

“I greeted accused two [Del Vecchio], and we started a conversation. I heard his strange accent, and when I asked him where he was from he confirmed that he was from Italy. Accused one [Patel] was still in the ladies’ department with the child and accused three [Jackson] was picking up products and clothing from the store.”

According to the witness a similar modus operandi occurred on the second day. Jackson proceeded to the counter to pay while Del Vecchio and Patel watched from a few metres away. 

“I waited for the transaction to be approved and then pulled the card out. He [Jackson] leant over to grab the card out of my hand. I pulled back and automatically turned it around and looked at the card and said ‘Dr RM Saunders?’ He said Dr RM Saunders was his wife and that was her card. He then made a cellphone call and asked: ‘Have they called you yet about the card?’ I was suspicious, so I said I needed to verify the cardholder in accordance with procedure and went to call FNB.”

While allegedly calling the bank for verification the trio fled the store with the items which had already been approved. 

“When I just left to make the phone call, all three accused ran out of my store. I contacted FNB and gave them the card number ... They said they could get hold of the holder of the card. My gut feeling then was to ask my colleague to please take a picture of the card.”

Bar codes from the exhibits produced in court, which matched the store receipts of purchase on both days, included: 

• Parrot FPV drone (white) valued at R9,499, exclusive to Cape Union Mart and purchased on February 13 2018
• One Midlands XT60 two-way radio valued at R1,799, exclusive to Cape Union Mart and purchased on February 13 2018
• A UK size 11 Old Khaki Pacifico Thong Sandal, purchased on February 13 2018 at 50% off retail price
• Gus T Men’s Olive, purchased on February 14 2018
• Zartek Spotlight Rechargeable Torch, purchased on February 14 2018
• One Midlands XT60 two-way radio valued at R1,799, exclusive to Cape Union Mart and purchased on February 14 2018

During cross-examination, attorney Bulelani Mazomba, representing Del Vecchio and Patel, said while his clients did not dispute they were in the store, Patel denied being there on February 14 2018. 

“They are going to inform this court that they went into the store because they were accompanying accused three [Jackson] who went to make some purchases. They will further inform the court they did not know anything wrong about the card that was used for the purchases,” he said. 

Jackson’s attorney, Patrick Mkumbuzi, said his client denied saying Dr RM Saunders was his wife. 

“He [Jackson] does not dispute that the card was pulled away from the pin pack as he feared monies might be siphoned from the account by you [witness]. He, however, denies having uttered words to you to the effect that Dr Saunders is his wife, and further that he faked or acted as if he called his wife.”

Sunday Times Daily reported how Patel had been previously been charged with terrorism when she was arrested with her brother and the infamous identical twins‚ Brandon-Lee and Tony-Lee Thulsie, during an antiterrorism police raid at their home in Azaadville, West Rand, in July 2016.

The Saunderses were well-respected within the horticulturist community — having established Silverhill Seeds in Cape Town in 1995, a company that offers an array of Southern African flora seeds to consumers across the globe — before their disappearance on February 10 2018.

At the time they had been touring parts of northern KwaZulu-Natal in search of rare seeds after departing with a BBC film crew in the Drakensberg’s Ithala area on February 8 2018, where they had been filming a production with Gardeners’ World presenter Nick Bailey.

On February 15 2018 Del Vecchio and Patel were arrested at their homestead in Endlovini, northern KZN, a stone’s throw away from oNgoye Forest, the last known location of Rodney and Rachel.

Jackson was arrested during a sting operation in Newlands, Durban, on March 22 that same year. 

Apart from double murder, they face charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft and malicious damage to property.

They were previously accused of having links to Isis and charged with contravention of the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act, but the charge has since been dropped. 

The trial, which is set down until June 17, resumes on Wednesday, and more than 30 witnesses are expected to be summoned to give testify.