I didn't kill my wife - tourist husband
THE newlywed husband whose bride was murdered on their South African honeymoon spoke to the British media yesterday about his ordeal.
THE newlywed husband whose bride was murdered on their South African honeymoon spoke to the British media yesterday about his ordeal.
Shrien Dewani said he was dragged screaming away from his wife Anni, 28, after being attacked by gunmen as they visited Gugulethu in Cape Town, the UK-based Press Association reported.
She was found shot dead in the vehicle the next day.
The 30-year-old businessman rejected speculation that he was somehow involved in the incident, telling The Sun newspaper: "People who suggest this could not have seen us together."
Dewani, from Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol, described how he saw an African man hammering on the windscreen of their Volkswagen Sharan taxi during their late-night visit to Gugulethu before gunmen broke into the car.
"I tried to cover Anni with my body. She started to scream and cry out hysterically," he said.
After shoving their driver in the back, the hijackers drove around at high speed and almost lost control, also holding a gun to his head and threatening to kill his wife, he said.
"I was clinging to Anni for all I was worth ... begging them to let us both get out of the car together. But they wouldn't listen. They couldn't get me out because the child locks were activated ... so they ended up dragging me struggling and screaming out of the window."
He added: "Anni was the 'one'. Her looks, her laughter, her personality, her spirit ... everything about her was right for me. Why would I want to kill her? Saying I was somehow involved defies logic."
The couple's driver on the night, Zola Tonga, 31, appeared in court on Monday charged with the murder of Anni. He and another man, Mzwamadoda Qwabe, 26, from Khayelitsha, appeared at the Wynberg regional court in Cape Town to face charges of murder and hijacking, the South African Police Service said.
The police said Tonga was in the process of consulting the Director of Public Prosecutions about a possible plea bargain. The first accused, Xolile Mngeni, 23, was arrested on Tuesday last week.
The case was adjourned to Monday while further investigations are carried out.
Anni's father has also spoken out in support of his daughter's husband, whose wedding took place just two weeks before the killing.
Vinod Hindocha issued a statement on Monday, saying: "Further to recent reports in several newspapers, I would like to state that my relationship with Shrien is a good one and I love him like a son. Whoever did this to my daughter need to be caught and put behind bars".