South Africa murder: timeline
Here is a timeline of the major events following the murder of Anni Dewani while on her honeymoon in Cape Town, South Africa.
Shrien Dewani and Anni Dewani at their wedding Photo: PA
November 13
Mrs Dewani and her husband, Shrien, are ambushed at gunpoint while in a car on a tour of the township of Gugulethu. Mr Dewani said he was pulled out of the car and dumped uninjured in a township, before the car drove off with his wife inside.
November 14
A police helicopter is scrambled to find his wife, and her body is discovered in the taxi.
November 16
A post mortem examination finds that Mrs Dewani died from a gunshot wound to the neck, but that she was not sexually assaulted. Mr Dewani says it was his wife's idea to visit the township and see the "real Africa".
November 17
Mrs Dewani's body is flown back to England, accompanied by her husband. Within days two men have been arrested and charged with murder, and the driver, Mr Tongo, follows soon after.
November 20 and 21
Mrs Dewani's funeral is held in Britain but in South Africa questions are raised about the case. Police tell local media the shooting was a "planned hit", while it is claimed Mr Tongo will become a state witness – admitting a role in the carjack in exchange for information – and Mr Dewani is wanted to assist with an identity parade.
Reports also claim the care home service run by Mr Dewani with his father and brother, PSP Healthcare, has debts of £4.1 million, prompting auditors to issue a statement saying the company is secure.
November 22
Media guru Max Clifford is recruited by Mr Dewani. His wife's family insist any suggestion their son-in-law was involved is "outrageous".
November 23
Mr Dewani categorically denies any involvement in his wife's murder. In a statement, he says: "I searched high and low for my perfect partner … why would I want to kill her?"
He also gives another account of the ambush in which his story changes slightly. He claims the driver, not his wife, suggested the visit to the township and that he and his wife were held in the car for 40 minutes, not 20, before he was thrown out.
Mrs Dewani’s uncle, Ashok Hindocha, voiced his concerns about the investigation and said the police should dig deeper.
November 24
Mr Hindocha challenges Mr Dewani to return to South Africa, saying police should not rule anyone out of the investigation.
November 25
Preyen Dewani issues a statement saying his brother is afraid he will be wrongly blamed for the murder in order to save the reputation of South Africa. Mr Clifford reiterates that his client is not a suspect and had not been asked to return to South Africa, adding that he is heavily sedated and being watched by doctors.
November 26-27
Mr Clifford denies unfounded media suggestions that Mr Dewani is being considered as a possible suspect by police. Lawyers for two of the accused men claim Mr Dewani will attend an identity parade over the murder, but Mr Clifford repeats that his client has not been asked to return.
November 29
Mr Dewani is not a suspect in the carjacking and murder "for now", prosecutors say. His father-in-law, Vinod Hindocha, questions the police's handling of the investigation, asking why Mr Dewani was allowed to leave the country with his wife's body just four days after the incident, why police did not conduct a second post-mortem examination and why Mr Dewani has not returned to South Africa to identify the three suspects.
December 3
Two of the three men accused of playing a role in the murder claim that they were physically assaulted by police.
December 6
Sources involved in the case suggest Mrs Dewani could have been sexually assaulted, a claim previously denied by South African police until now. Police also believe she may have been shot accidentally as her abductors argued over whether or not to rape her, it is claimed.
December 7
Mr Tongo, appearing in court under a plea bargain arrangement, publicly accuses Mr Dewani of offering him £1,300 (15,000 Rand) to have his wife killed, saying she was "murdered at the instance of her husband". Mr Clifford pre-empts the claims by saying they have "absolutely no substance".
November 17
Mrs Dewani's body is flown back to England, accompanied by her husband. Within days two men have been arrested and charged with murder, and the driver, Mr Tongo, follows soon after.
November 20 and 21
Mrs Dewani's funeral is held in Britain but in South Africa questions are raised about the case. Police tell local media the shooting was a "planned hit", while it is claimed Mr Tongo will become a state witness – admitting a role in the carjack in exchange for information – and Mr Dewani is wanted to assist with an identity parade.
Reports also claim the care home service run by Mr Dewani with his father and brother, PSP Healthcare, has debts of £4.1 million, prompting auditors to issue a statement saying the company is secure.
November 22
Media guru Max Clifford is recruited by Mr Dewani. His wife's family insist any suggestion their son-in-law was involved is "outrageous".
November 23
Mr Dewani categorically denies any involvement in his wife's murder. In a statement, he says: "I searched high and low for my perfect partner … why would I want to kill her?"
He also gives another account of the ambush in which his story changes slightly. He claims the driver, not his wife, suggested the visit to the township and that he and his wife were held in the car for 40 minutes, not 20, before he was thrown out.
Mrs Dewani’s uncle, Ashok Hindocha, voiced his concerns about the investigation and said the police should dig deeper.
November 24
Mr Hindocha challenges Mr Dewani to return to South Africa, saying police should not rule anyone out of the investigation.
November 25
Preyen Dewani issues a statement saying his brother is afraid he will be wrongly blamed for the murder in order to save the reputation of South Africa. Mr Clifford reiterates that his client is not a suspect and had not been asked to return to South Africa, adding that he is heavily sedated and being watched by doctors.
November 26-27
Mr Clifford denies unfounded media suggestions that Mr Dewani is being considered as a possible suspect by police. Lawyers for two of the accused men claim Mr Dewani will attend an identity parade over the murder, but Mr Clifford repeats that his client has not been asked to return.
November 29
Mr Dewani is not a suspect in the carjacking and murder "for now", prosecutors say. His father-in-law, Vinod Hindocha, questions the police's handling of the investigation, asking why Mr Dewani was allowed to leave the country with his wife's body just four days after the incident, why police did not conduct a second post-mortem examination and why Mr Dewani has not returned to South Africa to identify the three suspects.
December 3
Two of the three men accused of playing a role in the murder claim that they were physically assaulted by police.
December 6
Sources involved in the case suggest Mrs Dewani could have been sexually assaulted, a claim previously denied by South African police until now. Police also believe she may have been shot accidentally as her abductors argued over whether or not to rape her, it is claimed.
December 7
Mr Tongo, appearing in court under a plea bargain arrangement, publicly accuses Mr Dewani of offering him £1,300 (15,000 Rand) to have his wife killed, saying she was "murdered at the instance of her husband". Mr Clifford pre-empts the claims by saying they have "absolutely no substance".
