SA fixer explains organizing bride’s murder – Monde Mbolombo speaks on contract to ‘hire hitmen’ who killed newlywed British bride Anni Dewani on her honeymoon in Cape Town, in 2010
In a recent TV documentary, ‘middleman’ Monde Mbolombo has given his version of the ‘fake robbery-murder’ during which a newlywed woman was shot on her honeymoon in Cape Town, 11 years ago
In a plea arrangement that granted immunity from prosecution, Mbolombo, 41, testified that he organized the hit at the request of the victim’s husband
Anni Dewani, 28, was killed in a taxi by carjackers, while on honeymoon with her new husband on Nov. 13, 2010
She had been married for few weeks to millionaire British nursing home boss, Shrien Dewani
Shrien Dewani, now 41, who has since has come out as gay, was accused of organizing the hit on his new Swedish engineer bride
Dewani claims he and his wife were victims of a random kidnapping and his life was spared as the two gunmen pushed him out of the vehicle window
He was acquitted of all charges in 2014 after the inconsistencies in testimonies of key witnesses weakened the prosecution’s case
Ultimately three men – the taxi driver, and two assassins – were convicted in the killing
Cabbie Zola Tongo was jailed 18 years, while one of the assassins, Mziwamadoda Qwabe, was handed a life sentence
Xolile Mngeni, who fired the shot that killed Anni Dewani, died in 2014 from cancer, while serving his sentence

In a TV documentary, the mastermind in the controversial case of young British bride, Anni Dewani, who was brutally murdered while on her honeymoon in South Africa, has spoken out about the plot, admitting: ‘I’m not proud of what I did.’
Anni, 28, was killed in the back of a taxi while on honeymoon with her new husband in Gugulethu township, near Cape Town on November 13, 2010.
She had been married for only a few weeks to British millionaire nursing home boss Shrien Dewani, now 41.
She suffered a single gunshot to her neck after her husband fled the taxi which was later found abandoned with her body in it.
Dewani who was accused of organizing the hit on his Swedish engineer wife with the taxi driver and paying him and two accomplices, was eventually cleared of the charges.

He told investigators his life was spared as the two gunmen forced him out of the vehicle at gunpoint, before murdering his new bride.
However, the fixer he allegedly contracted, Monde Mbolombo, has given his version of the ‘fake’ robbery-murder to a TV documentary team.
Recalling events leading up to Anni’s murder, Mbolombo, 41, told the program that taxi driver Zola Tongo came to see him at a hotel he was working at the time to set up the contract hit.
‘Tongo came to me and he said “do I know any hitman?”. I was shocked.’
He said Tongo told him that he would be bringing a couple into the township and “the husband, wants the wife to be killed.”
‘Tongo said “so this guy wants his wife to be murdered and it must look like it’s a hijacking“.’
Dewani has always maintained his innocence and accused the three men convicted of Anni’s murder, of framing him.
In 2014, a South African court declared him not guilty of charges that he arranged the murder. The judgement meant in effect he had been framed.
Monde Mbolombo, then 30, who then worked at a busy hotel, agreed to act as a ‘middle man’, the court heard, and recruited two assassins to stage a fake carjacking as cover for murder. He was given a deal to avoid prison on the basis that he would give evidence against Dewani and co-accused.
Asked why he had got involved in the murder plot, Mbolombo said: ‘To tell the truth, I don’t know really.
‘That’s the question I’ve been asking myself all these years, why did I say yes?’
In the TV series Mbolombo tells of his anguish over his involvement over the killing.
He was granted immunity from prosecution for helping police investigating Anni’s murder.
Asked if he thought about how a woman was going to end up dead, he broke down in tears and said: ‘Because of my role, I’m still stuck here. I’m not proud of what I did.’

In an earlier interview Mbolombo bristled at the idea that he’d got off lightly even though his three co-conspirators all received lenghty jail terms: ‘I don’t think life would be any worse for me if I had gone to jail,’ Mbolombo said. ‘I cry for what I did, I cannot sleep, my life is destroyed by the things I have done, ‘ he responded.
At Dewani’s trial, Mbolombo described how he had been approached by taxi driver, Zola Tongo, who said he’d been offered $2,005 by a ‘rich’ client ‘who wanted his wife killed’.
Mbolombo, who then worked at a busy hotel, agreed to act as a ‘middle man’ and recruited two assassins to stage a fake carjacking as a cover for murder. He testified that Dewani devised the plan.
Tongo and Dewani were to be robbed and released unscathed, while the new bride was to be driven off alone to her death, he told the court.

Mbolombo’s supposed remorse was dismissed as ‘crying crocodile tears’ by Anni’s family who are still searching for answers to the tragedy in their quest for closure.
They urged him to face them himself and tell the full story of how Anni was shot dead in a taxi near Cape Town 11 years ago.
Anni’s uncle Ashok Hindocha said: ‘Even after all these years, We still have so many questions that need answering.
‘There is still key information to be revealed and holes in the story to be filled.
‘Some of the mobile phones used by the men who killed Anni have never been found. Does he know anything about what happened to these and who got rid of them?
‘There could be very important information on those phones. We were told there were text messages that were sent between them.

In an earlier interview Mbolombo bristled at the idea that he’d got off lightly even though his three co-conspirators all received lenghty jail terms: ‘I don’t think life would be any worse for me if I had gone to jail,’ Mbolombo said. ‘I cry for what I did, I cannot sleep, my life is destroyed by the things I have done, ‘ he responded.
At Dewani’s trial, Mbolombo described how he had been approached by taxi driver, Zola Tongo, who said he’d been offered $2,005 by a ‘rich’ client ‘who wanted his wife killed’.
Mbolombo, who then worked at a busy hotel, agreed to act as a ‘middle man’ and recruited two assassins to stage a fake carjacking as a cover for murder. He testified that Dewani devised the plan.
Tongo and Dewani were to be robbed and released unscathed, while the new bride was to be driven off alone to her death, he told the court.

On the night of the ‘hit’, however, as the chaotic plan began to unravel, Mbolombo stepped in to a bigger role.
CCTV captured him making a string of calls, from behind the reception desk at a popular tourist hotel, to ensure the unsuspecting victim was delivered to her killers.
Furthermore, several pieces of security footage showed meetings between Dewani and Tongo before and after the murder.
These , South African prosecutors said, pointed to the makings of the sinister plot, as well as a bundle of money left by Dewani in the stolen taxi that could only be explained as payment.
A rendezvous in the hours before Anni’s body was even discovered, and again later when Dewani handed over more cash to his driver, backed up the theory, the court heard.
Dewani testified that s his various meetings with taxi driver Tongo and the payments of money were meant for a surprise helicopter trip for his new bride, Anni.

Mbolombo’s supposed remorse was dismissed as ‘crying crocodile tears’ by Anni’s family who are still searching for answers to the tragedy in their quest for closure.
They urged him to face them himself and tell the full story of how Anni was shot dead in a taxi near Cape Town 11 years ago.
Anni’s uncle Ashok Hindocha said: ‘Even after all these years, We still have so many questions that need answering.
‘There is still key information to be revealed and holes in the story to be filled.
‘Some of the mobile phones used by the men who killed Anni have never been found. Does he know anything about what happened to these and who got rid of them?
‘There could be very important information on those phones. We were told there were text messages that were sent between them.

‘We are still anxious to see those messages on those phones and know who said what,’ adding, ‘Tears are not enough.
‘When Shrien was found not guilty, the judge in the trial said Mbolombo was not immune from prosecution. But he was never charged. He has been lucky to escape justice. ‘
Dewani said he and his wife were kidnapped as they toured the township in Tongo’s taxi. She was shot through the hand and neck, possibly as she lay face down in the taxi.
Tongo, who is serving 18 years for the murder, said he was paid $978.55 [15,000 Rand] to organize the hitmen.
But millionaire care home boss Dewani, who fought an extradition battle for nearly four years, said he and his wife were victims of a random kidnapping and his life was spared as the two gunmen pushed him out of the vehicle window.

Appearing to further damage Dewani’s defense, files later stripped from his laptop by investigators revealed he had surfed gay ‘hook up’ sites for years, even as he was on his honeymoon and in the hours after his bride’s murder.
Police said the evidence of a secret double life demonstrate a motive for Dewani wanting his wife dead.
In court, he admitted sleeping with male prostitutes and paying for sex. The judge was also told that he surfed gay websites the day after his wife had been murdered.
However, Dewani was acquitted of all charges and walked out of court a free man after the inconsistencies in testimonies of key witnesses weakened the prosecution’s case.
The judge found she could not rely on the police investigation and that statements taken from the alleged accomplices had been contradictory.


In a plea arrangement, Mondo Mbolombo, 41, who admitted he organized the hit with the husband was granted immunity from prosecution for helping police investigating Anni Dewani’s murder. ‘Fixer’ Mbolombo was offered the deal after claiming he was only acted as middleman in the 2010 taxi hijack and murder in Cape Town, South Africa.
Ultimately three men were convicted – Zola Tongo was jailed 18 years, Mziwamadoda Qwabe who was handed a life sentence, and Xolile Mngeni, who fired the shot that killed Anni Dewani, but died from cancer in prison while serving his sentence.
Shrien Dewani has always maintained his innocence. He has accused the three men convicted of Anni’s murder, of framing him. In 2014 a South African court declared him not guilty of charges he arranged the murder. The judgement in effect agreed, that he’d been framed.

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