Two men with guns hijacked Zola Tongo's shuttle taxi in Gugulethu, Cape Town, in 2010 for R15,000, he told the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday.

Testifying for the State during British businessman Shrien Dewani's trial on a charge of murdering his wife Anni, Tongo said Dewani agreed to pay him R5000 when the job was done and to place R15,000 for the hitmen inside Tongo's minibus.

The money was meant to have been put in the cubbyhole, but in the end Dewani put the money in the pocket behind the front passenger seat, Tongo told the court. He was being questioned by prosecutor Shareen Riley.

He drove Dewani and his wife Anni to Gugulethu after dinner on the evening of Saturday, November 13, 2010. When he stopped, one hitman jumped onto the bonnet and the other came towards his driver's seat window.

He said the men were convicted killers Mziwamadoda Qwabe and Xolile Mngeni, who he conspired with earlier that day.

Mngeni was handed a life sentence for firing the shot that killed Anni Dewani. Qwabe is serving a 25-year jail term, and Tongo 18 years.

Mngeni died from a brain tumour on October 18.

Dewani has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, conspiracy to commit these crimes and defeating the ends of justice.

Dewani claims the couple were hijacked as they were being driven through Gugulethu in Tongo's minibus. He was released unharmed and Anni driven away. She was found shot dead in the abandoned minibus in Khayelitsha on Sunday, November 14.

The State alleges he conspired with others to stage the hijacking for R15,000.

Tongo said Qwabe drove his vehicle and Mngeni sat in the front passenger seat. Mngeni had a 9mm pistol and Qwabe a revolver, he said.

They pushed Tongo to the back seat, where the Dewanis were sitting, and asked them to hand over their cellphones and possessions.

Tongo had two phones and only handed over his Nokia E90. His Blackberry was not working and could not receive a signal. He used it to save phone numbers.

He saw the couple hand their phones, watches and a wallet to Mngeni, because Qwabe was driving. Anni Dewani was crying and her husband tried to console her, he said.

Tongo could not remember anything they may have said.

At the Gugulethu barracks, Mngeni got out and opened the door for Tongo to get out. Tongo went to the Gugulethu police station where he explained his minibus had been hijacked with two tourists inside.

He signed the statement he made and told the court: "Those were lies."

He was taken to another detective and told him the same story. Tongo and police officers drove to the Cape Grace Hotel to find out the identity of the tourists.

Riley asked if he knew where Dewani was at that stage. He said Dewani walked to where he was sitting in the hotel and asked if he was alright.

Tongo was at the hotel the whole of that night and the next morning, at the instruction of the police. Riley asked if he saw Dewani again in that time.

"From the time I arrived at the hotel, he was coming to me every now and then. He kept on asking whether I am alright, whether I am fine, is there anything that I heard. Did this really take place?"