An elderly couple who were murdered in their home were fed rat poison before they were strangled to death.
This was revealed by state prosecutor Nicky Konisi in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court, where two men accused of killing 82-year-olds Riedewaan and Rugaya Addinall made their first appearance on Monday.
There was drama when one of the accused, identified as the couple’s long-time gardener Gcinile Litha Gcobelakhe, 29, told the magistrate he “wanted to confess”.
Gcobelakhe and Lwazi Tsibatsiba, 22, face four charges each - two of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and attempted theft.
Police arrested the duo in Delft on Thursday evening with the Addinalls’ car keys, a remote control device and rat poison in their possession.
Konisi said that on 5 January, a day before the couple’s bodies were discovered in the separate entrance they lived in Sandown Road, Ottery, Gcobelakhe and Tsibatsiba were caught on the surveillance camera at a house in the same street, entering the property and carrying out items to the couple’s car.
However, they could not get the black Mercedes-Benz started. Gcobelakhe’s fingerprints were found on the car and a stolen microwave.
The prosecutor said Gcobelakhe had a pending murder case in Nyanga, the details of which were still being sourced.
INVESTIGATION: Police at the scene in Ottery on 6 December
Magistrate Goolam Bawa suddenly pointed to the back of the court where a man, later identified as a family member of the deceased, was recording court proceedings on a cellphone.
Bawa instructed the court orderly to delete the video and the man left the court.
Bawa said while the public was allowed to sit in and listen, no one was allowed to take photos or videos inside court.
He warned this could lead to criminal charges and jail time. Addressing the accused, Bawa asked if they had legal representation.
Gcobelakhe shocked everyone when he said he intended to confess.
“I want to confess. I want to say what happened, I want to say what I did,” he told Bawa.
“I told the man (pointing to the investigating officer), I told him I want to confess before I come here again. I want to confess.”
However, Bawa would not allow the accused to say anything further.
Both accused then opted for Legal Aid and will appear in court on 5 February for a formal bail application.