‘She did the right thing. She gave the right judgment – and for that we are so very, very happy.”
These were the words of Vinod Hindocha, father of murdered Anni Dewani, following the decision earlier this week by UK Home Secretary Theresa May to sign an extradition order for Shrien Dewani to be brought to South Africa to stand trial for his wife’s murder.
“The decision about his extradition is one that everyone expected – that he has to go.
However he added: “His decision to appeal surprises me. I don’t know what grounds he has to appeal on. He is defying his government. It shows that he doesn’t trust his government,” said Hindocha.
“He is opposing all the time. What is he afraid of? He will get a fair trial. Why he is afraid? We don’t understand.
“If he is innocent, he can return a proud man. If he is guilty, he must face the charges.”
In a telephone interview with Weekend Argus from Sweden, Hindocha poured praise and gratitude on the 11 000 people in the UK and to 4 000 South Africans who signed a petition calling for Dewani to return to face the music in South Africa.
“When they handed the petition over to the Home Secretary last week, we could not describe our gratitude. We want to say thank you 11 000 times to all these people who signed. And please will you convey my 4 000 thanks to the South Africans who did this. I struggle to express how overwhelmed we have been by the support shown to us both in the UK and in South Africa.”
The decision to extradite Dewani would bring the family closer to justice for Anni and to closure for them as a family, he added.
May surprised the Hindochas when she signed the order, weeks earlier than they had expected.
“The decision came early which makes me think that the case is rather crystal clear for Theresa May too. She did not have to take too much time to make the decision that he must go to South Africa, face the trial and give answers ,” Hindocha said.
“We are very happy with the decision and it is a huge relief to us. We believe wholeheartedly in the justice system in South Africa and in the UK. We believe he will get a fair trial.”
Dewani is implicated in Anni’s murder which took place during the couple’s honeymoon in Cape Town last December. He has been fighting his extradition for months in the UK.
Taxi driver Zola Tongo is currently serving 18 months for his role in the murder, while suspects Mziwamdoda Qwabe, 26, and Xolile Mngeni, 23, are due to appear in the Cape Town High Court on February 10 for a pre-trial conference.
Hindocha said he “and the whole family” would attend the trial of Dewani. “The day we find out the date, we will book our tickets. Many of our Swedish friends are coming with us to give us the support we need. We will stay for the trial.
“Anni would have wanted justice to be done and we will be there all the way through.
“We know that the South African people will welcome us and support us,” he added. “When I was last in South Africa, I could not believe the support. On one occasion, I was having coffee in a restaurant in Camps Bay. When the waiter came to me with the bill, he looked at me, hid the bill behind his back and went down on his knees.
“He said: ‘I apologise for what happened in my country.’ He started crying and I was also in tears. On another occasion, I was sitting in a restaurant in Cape Town and a man gave me a business card. When I looked at it, he had written, “our sympathies on the loss of your daughter”. They recognise me in South Africa. I don’t know how but they do.”
Asked if he feels any empathy for Dewani in relation to reports that he is mentally ill, Hindocha said: “If he says he is sick, he will get the treatment he needs in South Africa. I don’t think we are worried about that.”
Asked how he and his family managed to stay strong, he said: “Do we have any choice? We are struggling. I pray that nobody else suffers what we are going through. But being one step closer keeps us strong. We want to start grieving for our daughter. When this thing is over and we know what happened to Anni, then we can mourn her properly.”
Asked when he last spoke to Dewani, Hindocha said: “The last time I spoke to him was at the time of Anni’s funeral. The Dewanis have totally cut links between the two families.”
National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said the NPA’s British counterparts had confirmed that Dewani had lodged an appeal.
Sue Segar with additional reporting by Wendyl Martin and Sapa.