British murder accused Shrien Dewani yesterday pleaded not guilty to having his wife killed on their honeymoon. He then recounted his version of events from the night in November 2010 she was shot dead in a carjacking in Cape Town.
Mr Dewani, from Bristol, is accused of paying a taxi driver to arrange the murder in mid-November 2010 of his new bride Anni, whom he had married a couple of weeks earlier in India.
Taxi driver Zola Tongo, whom Mr Dewani met shortly after arriving at Cape Town International Airport, was jailed in 2010 for 18 years for his role in the murder after agreeing to a plea bargain with the state in which he outlined Mr Dewani's alleged involvement.
In his statement to prosecutors, Tongo said Mr Dewani offered him 15,000 rand (€1,060) to have his wife killed, and that he, Tongo, hired two hitmen to carry out the deed and make it look like a carjacking.
In a written plea explanation to the Western Cape High Court yesterday, Mr Dewani said his account of what happened on the night of November 11th, 2010, was based on what he could remember.
“As a consequence of the traumatic experience which resulted in the loss of my wife, I have been hospitalised for over three years and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder . . . Nevertheless, I will set out the facts as I recall them today.”
Fought extradition
It has taken four years for the South African authorities to prosecute Mr Dewani, as he repeatedly fought extradition proceedings, with his defence team claiming he was innocent, and mentally unfit to stand trial.
According to Mr Dewani’s statement, after Tongo dropped the couple off at their hotel in the city he asked the taxi driver about organising a private helicopter ride as a surprise for his wife.
After some negotiation, he said he was told the helicopter ride would cost 15,000 rand in cash and that he should bring it with him later in the day.
That evening Mr Tongo brought the couple to a restaurant outside of the city and on the way back the taxi driver exited the highway towards Gugulethu township.
When they stopped at a set of traffic lights, Mr Dewani said he heard banging noises coming from the front of the car and then someone got into the seat next to him and ordered him to lie down.
“This person had a gun in his hand; I cannot recall which hand. He was waving the gun in the air. He shouted ‘Look down! Lie down!’. We were both terrified and we immediately complied with the demands,” he said.
After being robbed of their possessions and driven around for a while, Mr Dewani said he was forced him from the car by the hijackers, who said they would drop his wife off at a separate location.
Mr Dewani said he sought help from neighbours. When the police arrived a search was started for his wife and Tongo. The following morning Mr Dewani said the police contacted him to say his wife had been found shot dead, which caused his world “to come crashing down”.
CCTV footage showing Mr Dewani handing Tonga an envelope in his hotel the day after his wife had been murdered raised suspicions among the authorities as to his potential involvement.
However, the accused explained that he had given Tongo 1,000 rand because he felt sorry for him, as he had lost his car and was being hounded by the media. After identifying his wife’s body, Mr Dewani flew back to the UK.
The hitmen, Mziwamadoda Qwabe and Xolile Mngeni, were apprehended and each given a 25-year life sentence after pleading guilty to the killing.
The hearing is expected to last for about two months.
