A gardener has been found guilty of murdering his employers, an elderly couple aged 82 in Cape Town.
Rugeya and her husband Riedwaan Addinall were strangled at home in Ottery, Cape Town, in January 2019. Rat poison pellets were found inA gardener has been found guilty of murdering his employers, an elderly couple aged 82 in Cape Town.
Rugeya and her husband Riedwaan Addinall were strangled at home in Ottery, Cape Town, in January 2019. Rat poison pellets were found in Rugeya’s mouth.
Their home was ransacked, and the attackers stole a cordless phone, flat-screen TV, a microwave, a blue-ray DVD player, a barbecue grill, a remote control and car keys.
However, they could not take the loot as the vehicle could not be started. The couple’s relatives stumbled on their bodies in the living room. The scene revealed a struggle with furniture overturned and household items scattered on the floor.
Their gardener, Gcinilelitha Ngcobelothe, and another man, Lwazi Ntsibantsiba, were arrested in connection with the murders.
The high court in Cape Town convicted Ngcobelothe and Ntsibantsiba on Monday. They were found guilty of the murders and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
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National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the prosecution would ask the court to impose life sentences when the case commences in November.
Ngcobelothe and Ntsibantsiba turned against each other when the prosecution presented overwhelming evidence, calling 31 witnesses and relied on photographs and CCTV footage to bolster the state case.
“Ngcobelothe, who has worked for the Addinalls as a gardener for years and who brought Ntsibantsiba to the property under the pretext that they were going to work together, told the court that he was not present when the murders happened,” said Ntabazalila.
“He claimed that after arriving at the property, he was asked to go buy groceries for the couple, and he later travelled to Kraaifontein to clear a blocked drain for another client of his. He found Ntsibantsiba in the deceased’s vehicle, and told him the couple had left. They also left after that.”
Ngcobelothe … accused the state’s witnesses of impropriety, deceit and evidence tampering to falsely implicate him in the crimes, but the court dismissed the allegations
Eric Ntabazalila, NPA spokesperson
Ntsibantsiba told the court he had never been to the Addinalls’ property and had never seen or met them until the day Ngcobelothe brought him to the house.
“He claimed that after alighting a taxi from Delft, they walked towards the property. He further claimed that Ngcobelothe told him to wait in an open field while he went to speak to his employer so that he could bring his co-accused with him,” Ntabazalila said.
“He testified that he waited for hours and Ngcobelothe came and asked him to accompany him to do shopping for his employers. He saw the deceased’s bodies when he entered the property on their return from the shopping. He played no role in their murders. He alleged Ngcobelothe violently restrained him from leaving and threatened him if he revealed to anyone what he had seen.”
Ngcobelothe called Marcelino Paulse to testify on his behalf. Paulse confirmed Ngcobelothe’s version that “he went to Kraaifontein to fix a blocked drain”.
“Paulse testified and the court warned him to return to court the next day for [the prosecutor] to continue with his cross-examination. He did not and a warrant of his arrest was issued, but the court instructed the police to only effect it if he failed to come to court the next time. He returned to court accompanied by police,” said Ntabazalila.
“After the cross-examination started, he went silent, and after further probing by [the prosecutor], he recanted all his evidence in chief that the accused went to fix … a drain in Kraaifontein. He confessed that his entire story had been a lie. To counter Paulse’s change of tune, Ngcobelothe, through his lawyer, promised to call more witnesses to confirm his alibi, but he did not call any witnesses.”
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Ngcobelothe then attacked the prosecution.
“Ngcobelothe then accused the state’s witnesses of impropriety, deceit and evidence tampering to falsely implicate him in the crimes, but the court dismissed the allegations,” said Ntabazalila.
“Many of the witnesses provided the court with CCTV footage from their houses and testified seeing the accused in the deceased’s yard and next to the vehicle.
“The police investigation also found Ngcobelothe’s fingerprints on the vehicle, and he told the court they were there as he had washed the vehicle on the day.
“The court also dismissed Ntsibantsiba’s version that he was an innocent bystander threatened by Ngcobelothe.”
The matter will return to court on November 3 “for sentencing procedures as both accused have requested probation officer pre-sentence assessment reports”.
TimesLIVE Rugeya’s mouth.
Their home was ransacked, and the attackers stole a cordless phone, flat-screen TV, a microwave, a blue-ray DVD player, a barbecue grill, a remote control and car keys.
However, they could not take the loot as the vehicle could not be started. The couple’s relatives stumbled on their bodies in the living room. The scene revealed a struggle with furniture overturned and household items scattered on the floor.
Their gardener, Gcinilelitha Ngcobelothe, and another man, Lwazi Ntsibantsiba, were arrested in connection with the murders.
The high court in Cape Town convicted Ngcobelothe and Ntsibantsiba on Monday. They were found guilty of the murders and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
‘Ngcobelothe and Ntsibantsiba turned against each other when the prosecution presented overwhelming evidence, calling 31 witnesses and relied on photographs and CCTV footage to bolster the state case.
“Ngcobelothe, who has worked for the Addinalls as a gardener for years and who brought Ntsibantsiba to the property under the pretext that they were going to work together, told the court that he was not present when the murders happened,” said Ntabazalila.
“He claimed that after arriving at the property, he was asked to go buy groceries for the couple, and he later travelled to Kraaifontein to clear a blocked drain for another client of his. He found Ntsibantsiba in the deceased’s vehicle, and told him the couple had left. They also left after that.”
Ngcobelothe … accused the state’s witnesses of impropriety, deceit and evidence tampering to falsely implicate him in the crimes, but the court dismissed the allegations
Ntsibantsiba told the court he had never been to the Addinalls’ property and had never seen or met them until the day Ngcobelothe brought him to the house.
“He claimed that after alighting a taxi from Delft, they walked towards the property. He further claimed that Ngcobelothe told him to wait in an open field while he went to speak to his employer so that he could bring his co-accused with him,” Ntabazalila said.
“He testified that he waited for hours and Ngcobelothe came and asked him to accompany him to do shopping for his employers.
He saw the deceased’s bodies when he entered the property on their return from the shopping. He played no role in their murders. He alleged Ngcobelothe violently restrained him from leaving and threatened him if he revealed to anyone what he had seen.”
Ngcobelothe called Marcelino Paulse to testify on his behalf. Paulse confirmed Ngcobelothe’s version that “he went to Kraaifontein to fix a blocked drain”.
“Paulse testified and the court warned him to return to court the next day for [the prosecutor] to continue with his cross-examination. He did not and a warrant of his arrest was issued, but the court instructed the police to only effect it if he failed to come to court the next time. He returned to court accompanied by police,” said Ntabazalila.
“After the cross-examination started, he went silent, and after further probing by [the prosecutor], he recanted all his evidence in chief that the accused went to fix … a drain in Kraaifontein.
He confessed that his entire story had been a lie. To counter Paulse’s change of tune, Ngcobelothe, through his lawyer, promised to call more witnesses to confirm his alibi, but he did not call any witnesses.”
Murdered Ottery couple, 82, knew their attacker, cops believe
“Ngcobelothe then accused the state’s witnesses of impropriety, deceit and evidence tampering to falsely implicate him in the crimes, but the court dismissed the allegations,” said Ntabazalila.
“Many of the witnesses provided the court with CCTV footage from their houses and testified seeing the accused in the deceased’s yard and next to the vehicle.
“The police investigation also found Ngcobelothe’s fingerprints on the vehicle, and he told the court they were there as he had washed the vehicle on the day.
“The court also dismissed Ntsibantsiba’s version that he was an innocent bystander threatened by Ngcobelothe.”
The matter will return to court on November 3 “for sentencing procedures as both accused have requested probation officer pre-sentence assessment reports”.
Source TimesLIVE
