Cape Town - Was there another person involved in the killing of Swedish honeymooner Anni Hindocha?
This is the question that lawyers representing British businessman Shrien Dewani asked in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday morning.
Dewani is accused of orchestrating his wife Anni's murder while the couple were on honeymoon in Cape Town in November 2010 by asking local taxi driver Zola Tongo to arrange hitmen.
Tongo approached Monde Mbolombo, who recommended Mziwamadoda Qwabe.
Qwabe brought Xolile Mngeni on board.
Dewani allegedly instructed that they make the hit look like a hijacking.
While cross-examining Tongo on Tuesday, defence advocate Francois van Zyl SC played an audio clip of a telephone conversation between Tongo and Mbolombo shortly before 7pm on the night of the murder.
In the clip Mbolombo can be heard telling Tongo: “There's five of us, remember.”
Asked who the five were, Tongo said that Mbolombo included Dewani because he was a part of the alleged conspiracy.
But Van Zyl said it made no sense for Dewani to be included because the conversation took place in the context of a discussion about payment for the killing.
He asked the witness: “Mr Tongo, was there not a fifth person involved in your conspiracy with Monde Mbolombo, Mr Qwabe and Mngeni?”
Tongo insisted that the fifth person was Dewani.
Van Zyl also asked why, in the audio clip, Mbolombo could be heard saying that the car should “get there” and get washed.
Tongo said, as far as he could recall, this related to arrangement that, after the hijacking and murder, the hitmen should abandon the car in Khayelitsha, near the car wash he usually used.
Van Zyl, however, responded that Tongo earlier testified that he did not think about what would happen to his car after the attack and that he would have crossed that bridge when he got there.
He questioned whether the conversation was about having the car washed to get rid of fingerprints.
The trial continues.
IOL