Sunday, December 26, 2010

Driver conspired to kill Brit-Indian honeymooner's wife's in Cape Town

Cape Town, Nov 23 : The taxi driver of Brit-Indian business tycoon Shrien Dewani's wife killed during her honeymoon in Cape Town, has been charged with murder, kidnapping and robbery at a local court hearing this morning.



Anni Dewani was shot dead after the taxi she and husband Shrien, were travelling in was hijacked November 13.

The couple had reportedly asked Zola Tongo, whom they had met at the airport, to drive them through the township of Gugulethu in order to explore the real South Africa. However, within three minutes of their journey, their cab was attacked by some locals.

According to the Daily Mail, although Tongo's actions were not revealed in court, it has been reported locally that during the drive he had phoned a friend. He allegedly told the friend about the couple's plans and where exactly in the township they were thinking of going.

Tongo appeared in court this morning along with another man, 25-year-old Mziwamadoda Qwabe. Another 23-year-old suspect Xolile Mngeni had appeared in court last week.

All three are charged with murder, aggravated robbery and kidnapping. They are currently in police custody and will appear in court again next Monday, the paper said.

A prosecutor told the court that Tongo is likely to enter into a ''plea bargain arrangement'' in return for a possible lenient sentence.

Following the murder of his wife, Dewani raised concerns as to whether the driver was involved, but that he ultimately believed that he was innocent.

The couple had reportedly arrived in the country last week and spent four days on safari in the Kruger National Park. On Friday they moved to Cape Town and after spending Saturday lounging by their hotel pool, they decided to head out.

At Cape Town's five-star Cape Grace Hotel where the couple had been staying, Dewani said: "We spent an a hour-and-a-half driving around the city. At around 9pm, we headed to Somerset West (a suburb 30 miles away)," when they were attacked.