There was a heavy police presence at the Verulam Magistrates Court on Thursday where three people appeared on charges related to abduction and terrorism.
Four police officers from the National Intervention Unit stood guard in court, all armed with two carrying rifles.
The trio have been charged with kidnapping in connection with the February 12 disappearance of UK couple Rod and Rachel Saunders .
The couple - who lived in South Africa but had dual citizenship - had been in Vryheid when they went missing.
Sayfydeen Aslam del Vecchio, 38, and Fatima Patel, 27, were arrested and appeared in court shortly after the alleged abduction.
Patel was also arrested, on different charges, during the 2016 Gauteng raids that saw terror-accused twins Brendon-Lee and Tony-Lee Thulsie nabbed.
While the third suspect Themba Mandla Kwanele Xulu, 19, made his first appearance before the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday after being arrested in Mtunzini.
In the current case, Patel and Del Vecchio both stand charged with kidnapping, robbery and theft as well as terror related crimes.
Del Vecchio is also accused of malicious injury to property – understood to relate to the alleged torching of a sugar cane field.
Xulu currently faces charges of kidnapping, robbery and theft of R734 000.
In court, state prosecutor Adele Barnard told the court that Xulu had abandoned his argument regarding the court's jurisdiction to hear the matter and this was confirmed by his attorney Mondli Mthethwa.
Barnard also told the court that the charge of robbery against Xulu was being changed to that of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
She said the terrorism charges did not relate to him.
Asked by Magistrate Valaremen Kathuravaloo if he wanted to say anything, Xulu said he had a lot to say. "I don't know what I have done," he told the court.
Jay Naidoo, acting for del Vecchio and Patel, asked that the media bring a formal application if they wished to take pictures at the next hearing.
The trio are due back in court next Tuesday for a formal ball application.