Anni Dewani

Zola denied being involved and told police that he was ambushed and removed from the car. But when confronted with the evidence the police had, he confessed and told them he was involved.  

Xolile Mngeni

The three men initially told police that the plan was a robbery that went wrong and that Anni was shot accidentally during a struggle for her handbag. A fourth man, Monde Mbolombo, was later arrested for his involvement in helping to organize the robbery. The men later told police that Shrien Dewani was also involved in the crime. 

Zola told police that he met Shrien and was offered 15,000 rand ($2100) by Shrien to kill Anni. According to Zola, he then spoke to a friend about arranging a hitman and was put in touch with Xolile and Mziwamadoda.It was a statement that shocked Shrien's family but further investigation revealed that even though the couple appeared happy on their honeymoon, that was not the full story. Emails were found that Anni had sent to Shrien which suggested that there were frequent arguments and Anni stated that she was unhappy and wanted to pack her bags and leave. But why would Shrien want Anni dead? Police discovered that Shrien led a secret life and had used the services of male prostitutes. Shrien admitted he used gay websites and paid male prostitutes for sex but he said that he was bisexual and loved his wife and did not want their marriage to end and he denied having any involvement in Anni's murder.

Police in the United Kingdom arrested Shrien at the request of the South African authorities on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. Shrien denied that he was involved in his wife's murder and said that he would not agree to return to South Africa for a Trial. Due to that, extradition proceedings began so that he could be compelled to return. That was the beginning of what would be a lengthy legal process. 

Before Shrien was extradited to South Africa, the other men were sentenced for their part in the crime. Zola was sentenced to eighteen years in prison. Mziwamadoda was sentenced to twenty five years in prison and Xolile was sentenced to life in prison. It was determined that Xolile was the person who fired the shot that killed Anni and at his sentencing hearing, the Judge referred to him as an evil person. 

Back in the United Kingdom, the extradition proceedings took four years. Shrien's lawyers had argued that he couldn't go to South Africa as he was suffering from an acute stress disorder. The Court heard that he had taken a cocktail of 46 pills including diazepam. The extradition finally took place when the Court determined that his depression had eased.

He was extradited to South Africa and his Trial began. 

It was the Prosecution's case that Shrien led a secret life, one that involved men, and he wanted a way out of his marriage. It was their case that he set up a contract killing and hired Zola to stage a hijacking which would involve him being released and Anni being killed. 

The Court was shown CCTV footage of Shrien handing over money to Zola. The footage showed Shrien looking up towards a hotel security camera before moving out of the frame. Other footage showed him carrying a bag which contained money and he walked towards a small room with Zola. Further footage showed him in the five star Cape Grace hotel where Zola is seen sitting on a leather couch. The footage shows them talking and Shrien asked a man cleaning windows to give them some privacy. 

Some of the Prosecution evidence, such as testimony from a male prostitute referred to as The German Master was ruled inadmissible. The man, whose real name was Leopold Leisser, flew to Cape Town to give evidence but that testimony was never heard due to the Judge's ruling.

 

Most of the Prosecution case centered around the testimony of two of the three men who were already serving time in prison.

 

Mziwamadoda testified that he was told to make it look like a hijacking. The Court heard they had provided evidence under plea bargain-type arrangements and received time off their sentences as a result. 

 

The Court heard from the Pathologist Dr Janette Verster in relation to the  postmortem examination she carried out on Anni. The Court heard that there were gunshot wounds to Anni's left hand and her neck, which caused massive blood loss. She told the Court:

“In a few heartbeats, the deceased would have bled out.” 

Dr Verster testified that the fatal shot was delivered at close range. She agreed that Anni may have been grabbing on to “someone or something” when she was shot. 

It was the Defense's case that the case should be thrown out and they made a formal application for the case to be dismissed. Shrien did not testify but a statement was read out in Court in which he described himself as bisexual and admitted he had slept with male prostitutes but that he loved Anni and his "whole world came crashing down" following his wife's murder.  

Shrien's lawyer, Francois van Zyl, put forward two possible versions that led to Anni’s death. The first was that it was a robbery gone wrong. The Court heard that there was forensic evidence which indicated that Anni may have been shot by accident as one of the hijackers tried to take her handbag. There was bruising on her inner leg which indicated a struggle had taken place and they argued that the bullet passed through her left hand, into her chest and the wound on her neck was actually an exit wound. This indicated that the shooting may not have been deliberate. 

The second was that it was a bungled kidnap and ransom plot. A criminal named Bernard Mitchell claimed Zola told him about the plot in prison afterwards. The Court heard that he claimed he was told that the plan was to kidnap Anni and hold her hostage but it went off the rails.

The Court heard that Shrien did give 15000 rand in cash to Zola but it was for a helicopter ride, not payment to kill his wife. The Defense argued that nothing connected Shrien to the crime and that was why they asked for the case against him to be dismissed.

The Judge agreed. Cape Town Judge Jeanette Traverso said that it was for the Prosecution to prove that Shrien entered into an agreement with the three other men to have Anni killed and they failed to meet the threshold required to prove that was the case. Zola was the only accomplice witness and due to the plea deal, namely that he would have to serve less time in prison if he testified against Shrien, his testimony should be treated with "caution" and corroboration was necessary. She said that details such as where he picked up and dropped off Shrien and Anni did not provide that corroboration. She also said that the testimony of the three men was “riddled with inconsistencies” and was "so improbable, with so many mistakes, lies and inconsistencies you cannot see where the lies ended and the truth begins."

The Judge told the Court that the evidence meant to connect Shrien to Anni’s murder was so poor that only a confession by Shrien could have led to a conviction.

The Judge ruled that as such, it was not necessary for Shrien to give evidence and that he was entitled to be discharged if there was no possibility of conviction unless he entered the witness box and incriminated himself.

Anni's uncle, Ashok Hindocha, said:

"We would have preferred to have known about his sexuality before he married our precious Anni. She gave herself to him, mind, body and soul and she hoped to have been cherished and loved. But she would not have married him if she had known about his secret sex life with male prostitutes and the activities he engaged in."