The R15 000 Shrien Dewani allegedly offered hit men to kill his wife Anni Dewani is one of many factors that emerged in the Western Cape High Court three days ago, sparking further questions.
On Tuesday shuttle driver Zola Robert Tongo, who drove Shrien and Anni Dewani around in Cape Town, was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment. According to court documents quoting Tongo:
*On November 12, the day before Anni was murdered, Shrien Dewani approached him to try to recruit hitmen and offered R15 000 for them to kill his wife.
* Tongo then approached his friend, the fourth suspect Monde Mbolombo, who put Tongo in contact with Mziwamadoda Qwabe, another suspect now in prison for Dewani’s murder. For his help Tongo said Monde wanted a third of the R15 000 Shrien had promised and said the remaining R10 000 should go to the hit man.
* On November 13 Tongo said he and Shrien Dewani discussed how he wanted the “hijacking” to unfold and decided to recruit others to make it seem like a random crime. He said Shrien Dewani offered him R5 000 for his help.
* Tongo said he then approached Qwabe and Xolile Mngeni, another accused in Dewani’s murder. He told them they would receive R15 000 for the murder and Qwabe said the R15 000 should be left in the cubby hole of Tongo’s car.
* While driving the couple Tongo said he SMSed Shrien reminding him of the money. He said Shrien responded via SMS saying the money was in an envelope in a pouch behind the front passenger seat.
* Court documents and Tongo’s testimony do not clarify what happened to the R15 000 and whether Qwabe and Mngeni made off with it.
* Tongo said on November 16, three days after his wife’s murder, Shrien Dewani met him at the Cape Grace Hotel and gave him R1 000 for helping to orchestrate the killing.
* It is not clear whether Tongo was paid R5 000.
Yesterday Cape Grace Hotel spokeswoman Nikki Linde would not say whether CCTV cameras recorded the transaction. “We are obviously assisting police with their ongoing investigation,” she said.
[email protected] - Cape Times