As people across the world prepare for candlelight vigils to mark the one-year anniversary on Sunday of the murder of honeymooner Anni Dewani, her family have indicated that they will stay at home together in Sweden to mark the event.
The dead woman’s uncle, Ashok Hindocha, said from Sweden this week that he and Anni’s brother had planned to travel to Cape Town to mark the anniversary, but that the family needed to be together to support one another.
“The situation has become very hard for us, and I don’t know that anyone is up to it,” he said.
Vigils will however be held on Sunday in London and Bristol in the UK, in Sweden and in Cape Town.
According to details posted on Facebook, the local memorial is scheduled to be held at the Shree Vishnu Madir Samaj Centre in Rylands from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.
An emotional Hindocha said that as the anniversary drew closer, “there have been a lot of tears”. “It’s a very tense period, especially for my brother and his wife (Anni’s parents Vimod and Nilam).”
Her death had been “extremely hard” on his brother, a situation that was exacerbated by the fact that “we have not been able to grieve”.
“Not knowing what happened is hurting us even more. We hope that this can come to a conclusion so that we can start grieving,” Hindocha said.
The family has said previously that they did not want the name of Anni’s husband Shrien Dewani, who stands accused of masterminding her murder, to be mentioned at all during the vigils.
Shrien Dewani has been charged with orchestrating her murder while they were honeymooning in Cape Town last year. At the time he said that they had dined at a Strand restaurant and, on their way back to their city hotel, Anni had suggested they take a detour through Gugulethu as she wanted to see a township.
While there, he said, they were hijacked and he was forced out of the vehicle.
Anni was found dead in the vehicle the following day with a bullet wound to her neck.
Three other arrests have been made so far.
Their driver Zola Tongo pleaded guilty, saying that Dewani had paid him R15 000 to organise her murder. He is serving an 18-year prison sentence.
His co-accused, Xolile Mngeni and Mziwamadoda Qwabe, are still awaiting trial.
Mngeni has a malignant brain tumour.
Dewani is appealing against an extradition order to stand trial in South Africa.
That hearing is expected to take place some time before December 9.
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