Durban court hears evidence about arson incident in British couple’s murder case

A security guard from Tongaat Hulett has told the Durban High Court that he witnessed Sayefundeed del Vecchio, one of the accused in the British couple murder trial,  set alight the company’s sugarcane plantation.

The evidence in relation to this matter is separate from the charges of kidnapping, theft, robbery and two counts of murder for the 2018 murders of Dr Rachel Saunders and her husband Rodney.

Del Vecchio and his two co-accused Fatima Patel and Jackson Mussa have pleaded not guilty to all the charges levelled against them.

The Durban High Court has heard that Del Vecchio illegally entered the company’s property and set alight its sugarcane plantation.

The incident occurred in 2017 before the murder of the British couple in 2018.

According to the witness, Del Vecchio threw shell like objects through his bakkie window that immediately ignited the fire. The company said the fire left them with a financial loss of over R2.3 million.

The court is yet to hear what exactly was the object alleged to be used in starting the fire.

Del Vecchio denies being involved.

On Wednesday, the court head that Del Vecchio had an indemnity agreement with the company but failed to live up to it after they discovered that he had allegedly removed indigenous plants and killed some animals within the property.

It is said that after the termination of the agreement the company received information that the accused had allegedly set alight the company’s sugarcane plantation.