Pretoria – The High Court in Polokwane has sentenced Zimbabwean national Andrea Imbayarwo to two life sentences in a South African prison for the rape and brutal murder of 55-year-old British national Christine Robinson.
Imbayarwo, who worked for Robinson as a general worker and gardener, was also known as Andrew Ndlovu when he was living in Limpopo.
Limpopo spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS) Lieutenant Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said Robinson, a businesswoman and owner of the Raditau Lodge in Thabazimbi, Waterberg District, was killed in 2014.
“The accused, a 32-year-old Zimbabwean national, Andrea Imbayarwo was sentenced to two life imprisonments for raping and killing Christine Robinson, who was the owner of Raditau Lodge in Thabazimbi in the Waterberg District. This horrendous crime was committed during 2014,” said Ledwaba.
Robinson was found lying in her bedroom in the morning of July 30, 2014 at around 7am.
The police were called and on arrival found the victim with the knife still stuck in her neck.
She was certified dead by paramedics.
“Police commenced with investigations and it soon transpired that the accused, who was employed at the said lodge, was missing. It was then discovered that the same person had on 30 July 2014, in the early hours of the morning, hired a vehicle to take him to Beitbridge Border Post with the aim to go to Zimbabwe,” Ledwaba said.
“Further investigations revealed that the victim was also raped and robbed of some valuables. The [accused] was never granted bail until he was sentenced,” said Ledwaba.
Christine Robinson reportedly bought the 125-acre Raditau Lodge in Limpopo near the Botswana border, with her husband Daniel, also known as Robbie. She continued to run the 30-guest lodge after his death in 2012.
Independent Media reported in August 2020 the gardener had been arrested following extensive work by Robinson’s niece Lehanne Sergison who lives in London, with the help of leading South African independent crime expert Ian Cameron.
According to reports, Imbayarwo was a “trusted gardener” at the lodge. He was arrested in Johannesburg in 2020, through the extensive work done by Cameron. Imbayarwo had often returned to South Africa after he fled the country in 2014 following the murder of Robinson.
Camero, who visited the scene a few days after the murder and usually spoke to Sergison around the anniversary of her aunt’s death, said in 2020, he had called her in London and asked for the latest information and pictures relating to the case.
Wanting to get more clarity on the case and to apply pressure for the crime to be solved, Cameron posted the information on Facebook.
“Interpol did not do much. The South African Police Services on the ground at the time of the investigation were fantastic, but after that the case just died. The British government also seemed not to have done much,” Cameron told Independent Media at the time.
Six hours after the pictures were posted, Cameron received a tip-off.
“A few hours later someone contacted me and said ‘please call me, I know where this man is’. I then followed up the lead and true as Bob it was him, and we then arrested him.”
Cameron said Ndlovu was transported to Thabazimbi, Limpopo, the next day, where he appeared in court.
IOL