Leila Samodien
Justice Writer
A DISCUSSION in a parked car outside a luxury hotel – when details of honeymooner Anni Dewani’s looming murder were allegedly ironed out – came under the spotlight in the trial of British businessman Shrien Dewani yesterday.
Dewani stands accused of orchestrating the murder of his Swedish wife, Anni, while the couple were on honeymoon in Cape Town almost four years ago.
In the Western Cape High Court yesterday, the defence showed CCTV video footage from November 13, 2010, the day Anni was killed, suggesting that the discussion could not have happened as described by taxi driver Zola Tongo in his testimony.
Tongo, who is serving an 18-year sentence for his role, is a key State witness. Dewani is alleged to have asked him to arrange Anni’s killing.
According to Tongo’s evidence-in-chief, he took Dewani to exchange currency – allegedly the cash for the hit – on the day of the killing, which happened that night.
When they returned to the hotel, they’d discussed how the “job” should be done.
But during cross-examination yesterday by Dewani’s defence counsel, Francois van Zyl, SC, the court saw a video clip of Tongo and Dewani arriving at the Cape Grace hotel after the exchange.
In the clip, a car pulls up and parks after which Dewani immediately gets out and walks towards the hotel. The car then leaves.
Van Zyl said Tongo had made it “very clear” during cross-examination that the car was parked when he and Dewani, while sitting in the car, had held the discussion.
“I have to put it to you that is not what we see on the CCTV footage. Was this just another mistake?” asked Van Zyl, referring to differences raised earlier between Tongo’s evidence in court and a statement to the police in November, 2010.
Tongo maintained that the discussion took place in the motor vehicle, even if he’d “made a mistake” about whether the car had at the time been parked or in motion.
Tongo was also grilled about a call he said he’d received from Dewani earlier that morning to find out where he was so that the two could go to the currency exchange.
According to Van Zyl, there was no record of this call. He accused Tongo of trying to give the impression that Dewani was in a rush, saying that Dewani had at the time been at the poolside and had “forgotten about this important meeting”, which Tongo had had to remind him about.
“I’m putting it to you that there was no such call,” said Van Zyl. “That call and what was allegedly said were a figment of your imagination. Put differently, it’s a made-up story.”
Tongo maintained that there had been communication between him and Dewani. He couldn’t say whether Dewani had called from his cellphone or the hotel phone.