Three people convicted of the kidnapping and murder of botanists Rodney and Rachel Saunders are expected to be sentenced in the Durban High Court on Thursday, bringing a case that has spanned nearly eight years closer to its conclusion.
Safydeen Del Vecchio, his wife Fatima Patel, and Ahmad Musa were found guilty last month of kidnapping and murdering the UK-born couple, who disappeared near the Ngoye Forest outside Eshowe in 2018.
The court heard that Rodney and Rachel Saunders were abducted while travelling in northern KwaZulu-Natal before being tortured, robbed and killed. Their bodies were later dumped in the crocodile-infested Tugela River in an attempt to conceal the crime.
Sentencing proceedings concluded earlier this week, with the State and defence presenting arguments on an appropriate punishment.
In mitigation, lawyers representing Del Vecchio, Patel and Musa asked the court to consider the more than 3,000 days the trio have spent in custody, much of it in isolation, arguing that this constituted a compelling reason for the court to impose a sentence below the prescribed minimum.
However, senior State prosecutor Mahen Naidoo argued that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances to justify a lesser sentence.
Naidoo told the court that the elderly couple had been targeted without mercy and that the evidence showed the crimes were carefully planned and motivated by financial gain.
He also rejected the defence's reliance on the lengthy period the accused had spent in custody, arguing that they were responsible for much of the delay in the proceedings.
According to the State, numerous interlocutory applications brought by the accused prolonged the trial and delayed the administration of justice.
The Durban High Court is expected to hand down sentence later on Thursday.