Anni Dewani honeymoon murder pair to go on trial in South Africa next year

Men accused of plotting with Shrien Dewani to kill his wife on their honeymoon will face murder trial in Cape Town Two men accused of plotting with a British businessman to kill his wife during their honeymoon will go on trial in South Africa next year. Xolile Mngeni and Mziwamadoda Qwabe were allegedly hired by Shrien Dewani to murder his wife, Anni , in a fake carjacking in Cape Town. A British judge ruled last month that Dewani, 31, should be extradited to South Africa to face trial. He strongly denies any involvement in his wife’s murder and is fighting against the decision to send him to South Africa. Mngeni, 23, and Qwabe, 25, appeared at Wynberg regional court in Cape Town accused of murder, kidnapping and aggravated robbery. The two men, who are also accused of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, were told they would face trial at Western Cape high court. Mngeni, who has a malignant brain tumour, was helped into the dock by his co-accused before they were committed for trial. During their last hearing, the court undertook to decide whether to abandon the charges against Mngeni because of his condition, meaning they would only proceed with the case against Qwabe. But there was no mention of his tumour at the committal hearing. Previously the men’s lawyers have alleged to the Guardian that both were tortured by the police. Anni Dewani, 28, was shot dead in an apparent carjacking in the impoverished Gugulethu township on the outskirts of Cape Town last November. Her husband and Zola Tongo, the taxi driver, were ejected from the vehicle. Dewani was implicated in his wife’s murder by Tongo, 31, who claimed in a plea bargain that Dewani had offered him 15,000 rand (£1,400) to arrange the killing. Tongo has been sentenced to 18 years in jail for murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and perverting the course of justice. A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled in the high court for 10 February for Mngeni and Qwabe. This is to ensure there are no unforeseen hitches that could delay the legal process. A date for the trial has yet to be set. During the extradition hearing in London over the summer, Dewani’s legal team argued he was too ill to return and claimed his human rights would be infringed if he was ordered to go to South Africa because of the conditions he would face in prison. Dewani has been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression. Psychiatrists who have treated Dewani at a medium-secure psychiatric hospital in Bristol warned there was a “high risk” he would commit suicide if he was returned to South Africa. Experts in the South African penal system called by Dewani’s lawyers during the hearing said some prisons were overcrowded, understaffed and rife with diseases, including TB and HIV/Aids. There was a shortage of medical staff and sick prisoners sometimes struggled to get access to the care and medicine they needed. Members of Anni Dewani’s family are keen for Shrien Dewani to return to South Africa to face trial. Dewani murder case South Africa Africa Steven Morris guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 20, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.