The man who arranged young newlywed Anni Dewani’s brutal murder has broken down in tears when speaking publicly about the plot, insisting: ‘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 British millionaire nursing home boss Shrien Dewani, now 41, in Gugulethu township, near Cape Town on November 13, 2010.
The newlywed, who had only been married for a few weeks, suffered a single gunshot to her neck after her partner fled the vehicle which was later found abandoned with her body in it.
He claimed that his life was saved by the gunmen who forced him to get out of his taxi and then murdered his wife.
Although Mr Dewani was initially accused of organizing the murder of his Swedish wife, an engineer by taxi driver and paying them two others, the case was dropped.
Now Monde Mbolombo, the middleman who arranged the killing – but was granted immunity from prosecution for helping police investigating Anni’s murder, has spoken out in a new discovery+ documentary Anni: The Honeymoon Murder.
Monde Mbolombo (pictured), the middleman who arranged the killing – but was granted immunity from prosecution for helping police investigating Anni’s murder, has spoken out in a new discovery+ documentary Anni: The Honeymoon Murder
Anni Dewani was 28 years old and on her honeymoon, she was hit by a taxi as she tried to get home with Shrien Dewani, a British millionaire nurse boss. (pictured together, Gugulethu Township, Cape Town, November 13, 2010).
CCTV footage showed Monde Mbolombo talking on the telephone to Zola Tongo, a taxi driver. A TV documentary crew has listened to his story of the robbery and murder.
Asked why he had got involved in the murder plot, Mbolombo, 40, said: ‘To tell the truth, I don’t know really. If I don’t know the answer, then how can I possibly answer it?
“I’m not sure why I didn’t say no. It’s not clear. It’s not my intention to create stories, or anything.
‘That’s the question I’ve been asking myself all these years, why did I say yes?’ He continued.
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.’
Mbolombo recalled the events that led to Anni’s death and said Mbolombo had told Mbolombo that Zola Tongo, a taxi driver came to visit him in a hotel where he was employed.
‘Tongo came to me and he said “do I know any hitman?”. I was shocked.’
Pictured: Mr Dewani was charged with organizing the attack on his Swedish-engineer wife and paying two accomplices. He was eventually cleared.
Tongo said to him that Tongo wanted to bring two couples into township. “The husband wants the wife murdered.”
‘Tongo said “so this guy wants his wife to be murdered and it must look like it’s a hijacking“.’
Mr Dewani has always maintained his innocence and accused the three men convicted of Anni’s murder, of framing him.
He was found not guilty by a South African Court of Justice for the conspiracy to murder in 2014. He was deemed guilty of arranging the murder.
Mbolombo was granted immunity from prosecution for helping police investigating Anni’s murder.
Anni Dewani’s sister Ami Denborg (left), brother Anish Hindocha (2nd left from rear), father Vinod Hindocha (2nd right), and mother Nilam Hindocha (3rd right) depart Westminster Magistrates’ Court 2013
His 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 begged him to tell them the whole story of Anni’s death in Cape Town taxicab 11 years ago.
Anni’s uncle Ashok Hindocha told MailOnline: ‘Even after all these years, we still have so many questions that need answering. The story still has key information that needs to be revealed, and there are many holes to fill.
‘Some of the mobile phones used by the men who killed Anni have never been found. Do you know what happened? Who got rid of these phones?
‘There could be very important information on those phones. It was told that text messages were exchanged between the two phones.
Mbolombo (40), recalled the events that led to Anni’s murder and said Mbolombo was a taxi driver Zola Tongo (pictured below) visited him in a hotel where he was working.
Mr Dewani, pictured in 2014, 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
‘We are still anxious to see those messages on those phones and know who said what.’
But Mr Hindocha added: ‘Tears are not enough. ‘When Shrien was found not guilty, the judge in the trial said Mbolombo was not immune from prosecution. However, he wasn’t charged. He managed to escape justice. ‘
Mr Dewani said he and his wife were kidnapped as they toured the township in Tongo’s taxi.
Tongo, who is serving 18 years for the murder, said he was paid R15,000 (£700) to organise the hitmen.
However, Mr Dewani was a millionaire boss of a care home and claimed that he and his wife had been victims of an accidental kidnapping. He said his life was saved when the gunmen forced him from the car window.
He confessed to having sex with male prostitutes during his trial. Judge was told by him that he had accessed gay websites on the same day as his wife was killed.
Dewani was released from all charges.
Judge ruled that she couldn’t rely upon the police investigation, and that the statements made by the accomplices were contradictory.
Mr Dewani has always maintained his innocence and accused the three men convicted of Anni’s murder, of framing him. South African courts found Dewani not guilty of conspiring to murder in 2014. He was deemed guilty of arranging the murder. Anni
Also, the court saw CCTV showing Mr Dewani observing gay porn as his father-in law Vinod Hinddocha was sitting next to him at a hotel lobby table after arriving in South Africa.
Additional footage revealed Mr Dewani was seen disappearing with Tongo in the lobby of the hotel. A taxi driver then returned carrying a newspaper bag. Dewani stated that he paid him for his services as a driver of the honeymooners.
Anni was not raped nor sexually assaulted during the post-mortem. She received shots to the neck and hand, perhaps while she was lying face-down in the taxi.
Tongo admitted to the murder and was sentenced to a shorter term. Last year he was due to be released on parole, but was kept behind bars after opposition from Anni’s family.
Vinod was her father and flew back from Cape Town to ask him more questions. However, he wasn’t happy with the answers that he provided so he decided not to release him.
MziwamadodaQwabe has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Anni’s killer, Xolile Mngeni, died of cancer during his time in prison.
Anni: Watch the Honeymoon Murder now on Discovery+