IT IS not yet clear how the delay of honeymoon murder accused Shrien Dewani’s possible extradition will affect the two accused hitmen who have been in custody for more than a year.
Mziwamadoda Qwabe, 25, and Xolile Mngeni, 23, who has been ill with a brain tumour, have both been in jail since their arrests within days of Anni Dewani being found murdered in November 2010.
A pre-trial for the two is set down for April 13 in the Western Cape High Court.
In February, an initial pre-trial conference had been held for the two, but State advocate Shareen Riley had asked that the matter be postponed.
Dewani’s appeal against an extradition order had held this up because it was not clear when he would return to SA.
However, three days ago UK authorities announced that, after taking Dewani’s appeal into account, they had decided to halt extradition proceedings against him on mental grounds.
It was not clear how this would affect court proceedings against Qwabe and Mngeni. The Star could not reach either of their attorneys yesterday.
When a team from The Star’s sister paper, the Cape Times, visited Mngeni’s home in Khayelitsha yesterday, his grandmother Zanyiwe Mngeni, who raised him, refused to comment on the case.
“Not today. Goodbye,” was all she said.
At the spot where Anni was found murdered and where her parents had erected a memorial for her in March last year, which had previously been an open patch of land, the Cape Times team found that a home had been built.
The homeowner, who declined to be named, was shocked when he was told his house was metres from where Anni’s body had been found.
“I bought the plot. I moved in about a month ago. I knew the tourist was killed in this area. I didn’t realise it was right here. And I even knew Qwabe,” he said.
The homeowner said he had lived in the same area and socialised in the same circles as Qwabe.
Yesterday, a number of new stories about the case against Dewani surfaced.
In one, UK publication the Daily Star published an article saying a senior parliamentary figure had made a statement to police saying Dewani had had sex with him at a gay fetish club.
http://www.iol.co.za/the-star/dewani-delay-raises-questions-on-hitmen-1.1268392
