Tongo questioned on child locks

Her husband Shrien's defence team asked shuttle taxi driver Zola Tongo, 34, why he had put the child locks on before picking the couple up from their Cape Town hotel on November 13, 2010.

 

"To make a success of what we had decided on, my lady. As we know that they would be kidnapped," he replied.

 

Francois van Zyl, for Dewani, asked Tongo why both doors were locked if Dewani was in on the plot.

 

Tongo said he knew Dewani would be dropped off by the hijackers along the way and it did not matter then that both doors were locked. He also did not know which side of the back seat Anni Dewani would be sitting.

 

Tongo did not tell Dewani that the child locks would be activated.

 

Dewani is on trial for allegedly masterminding the murder while they were on honeymoon in Cape Town on November 2010.

 

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

 

He claims the couple were hijacked as Tongo was driving them through Gugulethu in his minibus on Saturday, November 13. He was released unharmed and Anni driven away. She was found shot dead in the abandoned minibus in Khayelitsha the next morning.

 

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

 

Tongo is serving an 18-year jail term. Middleman Monde Mbolombo, a hotel receptionist, was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for testifying against his accomplices.

 

Xolile Mngeni was serving life in jail for firing the shot that killed Anni, but died in prison from a brain tumour on October 18.

 

Mziwamadoda Qwabe is serving a 25-year jail term.

 

Van Zyl wanted to know why Tongo did not mention the child locks in his initial statement to police. He replied that certain things were only coming back to him now.

 

"When I think about it now, it was very important. As I said to you I was in a very critical condition. Some of the things are just resurfacing now."

 

Tongo was referring to what he had reminded the court about many times, that he was stressed and not in the right state of mind after his arrest.

 

Van Zyl showed the court surveillance footage of Tongo arriving to pick the couple from their hotel the night of the killing.

 

Tongo's car arrives at 7.57pm. He parks and then moves his car a few parking bays. He attends to the left and right rear doors. When the couple arrive at the vehicle, he opens the right rear door.

 

Tongo said he was nervous at the time and constantly looking around because he knew he was in the wrong.

 

He said he put his jacket on, cleared the vehicle of rubbish and threw it onto the road underneath the parked minibus because there was no bin nearby.