South African police think murder of Anni Dewani may have been planned
By Tim Edwards
LAST UPDATED 1:39 PM, NOVEMBER 22, 2010Share

Shrien Dewani, the British businessman whose wife Anni was murdered after their car was hijacked in Cape Town two weeks ago, is expected to return to the South African capital to help police with their investigations.

But Dewani faces a hostile local media which has seized on what it sees as holes in the bereaved husband's account of the newlywed couple's ordeal - and an unattributed promise from the police of an "explosive revelation" to come.

The Dewanis' ordeal began on November 13. The honeymooning couple went out for dinner and, on the way back to their hotel, Anni asked if their taxi driver could take a detour through the Gugulethu township to see the 'real Africa'.

Minutes later, the couple were carjacked: two armed men pulled the driver out of the taxi and drove off with the Dewanis.

Shrien was later forced out of the rear window at gunpoint while the vehicle was still moving. He called the police and the following morning, the car was found with Anni's body inside. She had been shot through the neck.

Although the police said she was not sexually assaulted, a bystander who saw Anni's body said that her underwear was around her ankles and her dress had been pulled up around her waist.
At first, the tragic events of that Saturday night were assumed to have been just another random carjacking in a country where such crimes are rife. Now the South African media are questioning Shrien's version of events, particularly how he escaped with no injuries - and why he was released at all, since he would then be able to raise the alarm.
The police also believe there is more to this case than a random carjacking, but they believe Shrien is innocent. Their inquiries point to a planned hit, allegedly involving the Dewanis' taxi driver, Zola Tongo. An unnamed police source has been quoted in the media as promising an "explosive revelation".

Meanwhile, what is known is that three men, including Tongo, have been arrested and charged with carjacking and murder since Anni's body was found. However, Tongo is apparently negotiating a plea bargain.
Prosecutor Rodney De Kock told Wynberg Magistrates' Court in Cape Town: "Discussions are taking place as to any admissions [Tongo] may wish to make. If these discussions are successful, accused [Tongo] will enter into a plea bargain with the state."

South African media have reported that on the way back to the Dewanis' hotel in Cape Town, Tongo had called someone on his mobile phone. He is alleged to have told that person the Dewanis' plan to drive through Gugulethu.

One person who does not suspect Tongo, however, is Shrien, who says: "Initially I had a lot of suspicion about the driver. But he spent all of Sunday helping the police and was able to answer all the police's questions. By the end of it, I quite liked him."
Meanwhile, it isn't only the South African press asking questions of Shrien Dewani. The Sun reported on Friday that PSP Healthcare, the company Dewani runs with his father and brother, is £6.25m in debt.

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