The husband of a Swedish woman who was murdered during a carjacking on their honeymoon in South Africa has denied that he had anything to do with the killing. Shrien Dewani is apparently receiving medical treatment to deal with his trauma after he and his wife Anni, 28, were attacked by gunmen in Cape Town as they travelled in a taxi on November 13th.
Mr Dewani said he was dragged screaming out of the car window before his wife was found shot dead inside the vehicle the following day.
Speaking about accusations that he was somehow involved in the murder, Mr Dewani said, “People who suggest this could not have seen us together.”
His brother, Preyen Dewani, also issued a statement through celebrity publicist Max Clifford, dismissing the “totally false accusations blaming him [Shrien Dewani ] for what happened to his wife from people seeking to divert this matter away from security in South Africa for ordinary people”.
Mr Dewani added, “Shrien is having to deal with the tragic loss of his chosen life partner on their honeymoon as well as the horrific ordeal of being held up and terrorised at gunpoint before his wife was brutally murdered.”
“At this stage I would like to make it clear that Shrien has not been asked to go back to South Africa. As you can imagine he has been severely traumatised by what happened to Anni and himself … he is currently receiving medical assistance and help to deal with the awful trauma that he is experiencing. His family are in constant contact with the police in South Africa and are fully co-operating with their investigation,” he said.
Max Clifford, who has represented a whole host of famous names from Muhammad Ali to Mohamed Al-Fayed, also spoke about Shrien. “He is in a dreadful state, like anybody who has been through what he has been through, being on top of the world and then everything destroyed,” he said.
The driver of the couple’s taxi, Zola Tonga, appeared in court on November 22nd charged with murder. Another man, Mzwamadoda Qwabe, 26, from Khayelitsha, is also being held for murder and hijacking. A third man, Xolile Mmgeni, 26, from Khayelitsha, is facing charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.