A 63-year-old woman from Gauteng, Zaheera Boomgaard, has been convicted of a series of shocking crimes, including the brutal murders of two elderly victims, multiple counts of theft, and forgery. The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria found Boomgaard guilty of the killings of Jamnadas Harkant Nathvani and Lyntette Mustapha, along with 46 counts of theft and one count of will forgery. Sentencing proceedings are scheduled to begin on June 30.
Boomgaard’s victims, both aged 72, were found burned beyond recognition months apart. Investigations revealed that both had been strangled and struck with blunt objects before being set alight. Nathvani, a British national who had arrived in South Africa in early 2020, was last seen traveling from Johannesburg to KwaZulu-Natal. His remains were discovered in open veld a month later. Mustapha’s body was located in Walkerville, close to the site where Nathvani was found.
The court heard extensive circumstantial evidence linking Boomgaard to the crimes. She was found in possession of Nathvani’s cellphone, with posthumous images of his passport and bank card discovered on the device. Tyre and drag marks at the body dump sites also matched her vehicle.
Additional damning evidence included SANRAL gantry footage of her vehicle near the scenes and Mustapha’s blood on Boomgaard’s shoes. The court also noted the proximity of the body dump locations, about 4 kilometers apart.
Boomgaard was acquitted of a third murder charge in the case of John Naisby, who disappeared in 2012 after visiting her. His body was never found, and the court determined that there was insufficient evidence to secure a conviction.
Besides the murder charges, Boomgaard was convicted of robbing Mustapha of her cellphone and bank card. Authorities also found forged wills in her possession, naming her the sole beneficiary of both Mustapha and her deceased sister Marlene. She was convicted of forging one of the wills, although she claimed ignorance of their fraudulent nature.
The theft charges relate to 46 unauthorized withdrawals from Nathvani’s bank account after his death. The total stolen has not yet been disclosed, but authorities confirmed a significant portion was siphoned off by Boomgaard.
Judge John Holland-Muter found the circumstantial evidence overwhelming, stating it proved her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Sentencing in this disturbing case is expected to result in a lengthy prison term.
