Community safety organisations have welcomed the conviction of a gardener and his friend who murdered an elderly couple before robbing them in Ottery four years ago.
The Western Cape High Court found that Gcinilelitha Ngcobelothe and Lwazi Ntsibantsiba murdered Rugeya Addinall, 82, and her husband, Riedwaan Addinall, 82, by strangling them in their house on Sandown Drive on January 5, 2019, before ransacking their house.
They left with a flat screen TV, a microwave, a Blue-Ray DVD player, a braai grid, a remote control, a phone and the keys to the couple’s car.
Chairperson of the Western Cape Community Police Forum board, Fransina Lukas, said the conviction was a step closer to justice for the family.
“Elderly people are the vulnerable in our society and deserve all the respect and care possible. What happened to this couple was a gruesome, brutal and heartless act that should be condemned in the strongest form.
“We hope that the sentences will be the maximum with no option of parole because such people don’t deserve to be part of society,” she said.
Cape Flats Safety Forum chairperson Abie Isaacs commended the work of the investigating officer.
“It’s not every day that we get such convictions, it takes hard work and dedication, and it must be commended. We are truly grateful that the court convicted the two men. What they did is despicable and we hope this sends a clear message to those who work against the law,” he said.
The Addinalls’ bodies were found by family members in the living room of their house.
Prior to the incident, Ngcobelothe had worked for them as a gardener, and brought Ntsibantsiba to the property under the pretext that they were going to work together.
During the court proceedings, Ngcobelothe told the court he was not present when the murders took place, claiming that after arriving at the property, he was asked to go and buy groceries for the couple, and he later travelled to Kraaifontein to clear a blocked drain for another client of his.
State advocate Nadia Ajam called 31 witnesses to the stand and used photographs and CCTV footage to strengthen the case, leading to the accused pair pointing fingers at each other.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: “The case returns to court on November 3 for sentencing procedures as both accused have requested probation officer pre-sentence assessment report.
Cape Times