Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Dewani did plot his wife's murder

Claim made by South African hitman jailed for 25 years after confessing to her kidnap and killing

- By Dan Newling Guilty: Mziwamadod­a Qwabe has admitted to the murder of Anni Dewani Changing fortunes: Dewani, pictured with his bride Anni on their wedding day (above) and at court last year (left)

A hitman has made fresh claims that honeymoone­r Anni Dewani's murder was ordered by her husband.

Mziwamadod­a Qwabe said the killing in his native South Africa was designed to appear like 'a random criminal act'.

He claimed he was told that businessma­n Shrien Dewani 'wanted the wife killed' and that it had to look like a robbery.

Qwabe, 27, claimed he helped to hijack the couple's taxi and was behind the wheel when a second hitman, sitting beside him, turned round and shot Mrs Dewani, 28, in the neck.

The father of three's previously unheard story was laid out in his signed confession document accepted by Cape Town's High Court yesterday.

He admitted kidnapping, robbery, owning an unlicensed gun and premeditat­ed murder.

While these crimes would normally merit life in prison, Qwabe received 25 years and will be eligible for parole in 17 years, under the terms of a plea bargain to testify against Dewani, 32, from Bristol.

Dewani adamantly rejects accusation­s that he commission­ed and paid for the murder in November 2010.

His most recent extraditio­n hearing was told that he is mentally unfit to return to South Africa for trial due to post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression.

In his confession, Qwabe named Dewani as a co-conspirato­r in kidnapping, mur- der and robbery, and says he was recruited for the 'job' by taxi driver Zola Tongo, who was jailed for 18 years for his role in the crime.

Yesterday Mrs Dewani's uncle, Ashok Hindocha, said: ' We are just happy. Two of the accused have now pleaded guilty. Now we want to know what really happened to Anni, why they killed her.'

But he added: 'I would have been much, much happier if all the accused were in South Africa and cross-examinatio­n took place and the truth could be found.

'To us, Anni is still not dead. We haven't started the mourning process. We can't. We need to know what happened and then we can start working our way through it.'

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