Cape Town -
Palm prints picked up on the car Anni Dewani was murdered in match those of the man suspected of shooting her.
A day after Anni was killed, police found the prints were identical to those on a database of suspects previously arrested, helping them identify Xolile Mngeni.
This emerged in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday when Johan Hannekom, a police warrant officer and fingerprint expert, testified in Mngeni’s trial.
Mngeni has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, robbing and murdering Anni. The State believes her husband, Shrien Dewani, masterminded her killing and that Mngeni was one of two men then hired to murder her.
On Tuesday, Hannekom testified that on November 14, 2010, the day after Anni was killed, he had searched for prints on the silver Volkswagen Sharan that Anni had been shot in.
Hannekom said using a black powder, he had dusted the right front fender and bonnet of the vehicle.
Two palm prints were picked up.
Hannekom said he had previously received a set of Mngeni’s prints from the case’s investigating officer Paul Hendrikse.
When he compared these prints to the ones he had lifted from the vehicle, they matched.
Mngeni’s prints were taken in court again on Tuesday and matched those taken previously.
Hannekom said the prints he had found on the car were “without a doubt” Mngeni’s.
He testified that on November 14, 2010, after lifting the palm prints from the car, he had scanned them into a database of prints taken from arrested suspects.
Hannekom said he then saw other prints in the system identical to those taken from the car.
When he checked on a reference number from the identical prints, he established the prints were those of Mngeni.
Earlier on Tuesday, a witness, who may not be named as it is feared he may be intimidated, was cross-examined by Mngeni’s legal representative, Matthews Dayimani.
The witness on Monday testified that on the night of Anni Dewani’s murder he had allowed Mziwamadoda Qwabe, who about two weeks ago pleaded guilty to his role in her killing, to drive him, his friends and Mngeni to Gugulethu.
The witness said he had dropped Qwabe and Mngeni in Gugulethu.
However, on Tuesday, Dayimani said Mngeni denied he had got a lift in the witness’s car that night.
Dayimani said Mngeni had instructed him to point out that between 1999 and 2000, there had been a problem between the witness, Mngeni and Mngeni’s brother.
The witness admitted he had been in a fight with Mngeni’s brother, but not with Mngeni.
Dayimani then said: “You are falsely implicating the accused before court because of problems you had with him.”
The witness denied this.