South Africa - Anni Dewani, 28, shot to death, Gugulethu, 13 Nov 2010 #3

[PrimeSuspect]

vanessa poonah ‏@vanessapoonah01 38s38 seconds ago

Tongo: ....and that the truth will come out one day. (Shrien Dewani shakes his head in the dock.)

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Leigh-Anne Jansen ‏@LA_JANSEN 33s33 seconds ago

court adjourns for lunch till 2pm

 

[newone]

next witness mondo

 

[PrimeSuspect]

VZ said "The conversation continues but I'll deal with this later."

( At this rate, he won't be finished with Tongo at the end of today.)

 

[Britlaws]

Is Mbolombo due to testify do we know, or was his immunity confined to testifying for the state in Mgheni's trial?

 

[PrimeSuspect]

next witness mondo

I agree, it would be good timing. At least we can find out who the 'fab 5 are' lol

 

[newone]

Is Mbolombo due to testify do we know, or was his immunity confined to testifying for the state in Mgheni's trial?

don't know ....... it would be a dream come true if he were to appear in the docket....

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Is Mbolombo due to testify do we know, or was his immunity confined to testifying for the state in Mgheni's trial?

I don't know Brit, it will be very interesting if he takes the stand but I wonder how much he will hold back. V Zyl is painting him pretty badly and for some reason, Tongo wants to be the 'big man' in all of this.
If Mondo denies Tongo said Dewani ordered the hit, then surely it will be over, how can the trial continue? Of course if he confirms, it's still on. JMO

 

[newone]

6 days for just this witness along with the deadline of Dec 1, van zyl needs to pick up the pace a bit MOO

 

[Britlaws]

He sounds like he is the main man, guarding himself with a cloak of respectability, with a proper job etc. whilst organising others to commit crimes whilst he waits for a large cut of the looty each time. He may also wield a lot of power in the townships, and this may be why the others so easily made deals, fearing revenge/reprisals, whereby he got off scott free.

Anyone got a link to his original affidavit?

 

[Britlaws]

I don't know Brit, it will be very interesting if he takes the stand but I wonder how much he will hold back. V Zyl is painting him pretty badly and for some reason, Tongo wants to be the 'big man' in all of this.
If Mondo denies Tongo said Dewani ordered the hit, then surely it will be over, how can the trial continue? Of course if he confirms, it's still on. JMO

Given what we have heard so far, I can't believe that the state, given how determined they have been to get Dewani to trial, haven't got a huge rabbit yet to pull out of the bag, like actual content of texts etc. If they haven't and it's mostly just testimony of two bit (albeit capable of horrible violence) township criminals who each have a motive to lie to minimise the impact of their sentences - or get off scott free! upon which they conclude is likely to secure a conviction.......surely in SA there is a prosecution 'test' prior to proceedings that there must be reasonable prospects for a sucessful conviction?

 

[BritsKate]

Given what we have heard so far, I can't believe that the state, given how determined they have been to get Dewani to trial, haven't got a huge rabbit yet to pull out of the bag, like actual content of texts etc. If they haven't and it's mostly just testimony of two bit (albeit capable of horrible violence) township criminals who each have a motive to lie to minimise the impact of their sentences - or get off scott free! upon which they conclude is likely to secure a conviction.......surely in SA there is a prosecution 'test' prior to proceedings that there must be reasonable prospects for a sucessful conviction?

Homicide conviction rates in SA are dismally low. Over 60% of homicides never make it to trial and of those that do, only about 10% result in convictions.

I've lost a lot of faith in Dewani being convicted after following the OP trial. A year ago I'd have banked on them both being convicted of murder. I still believe they're both guilty of murder.

 

[Britlaws]

Homicide conviction rates in SA are dismally low. Over 60% of homicides never make it to trial and of those that do, only about 10% result in convictions.

I've lost a lot of faith in Dewani being convicted after following the OP trial. A year ago I'd have banked on them both being convicted of murder. I still believe they're both guilty of murder.

I totally respect your opinion and fully agree that OP should have been found guilty (we still have hope with the appeal now formally lodged). However, I am unconvinced as yet with Dewani..you wouldn't want an innocent man (with a questionable sex life) to be convicted of murder would you? It's not over yet of course, and the prosecution team may yet pull some big rabbits out of the hat that are better indicators of culpability on his part that the word of criminals with a vested interest in covering their own backs.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

He sounds like he is the main man, guarding himself with a cloak of respectability, with a proper job etc. whilst organising others to commit crimes whilst he waits for a large cut of the looty each time. He may also wield a lot of power in the townships, and this may be why the others so easily made deals, fearing revenge/reprisals, whereby he got off scott free.

Anyone got a link to his original affidavit?

I've had no luck in finding Mondo's statement, or Qwabe's either. Just have Xolile Mngeni and Tongo's statement. Both their statements have Mondo's agreement that Dewani ordered the hit.
But reading some news articles, this was Mondo' second statement, so he had changed his story and was offered immunity.

At the beginning of trial Qwabe claimed Mbolombo had no other role aside from being the link between himself and Tongo. Qwabe, like Tongo, want to lessen Mondo's involvement, I wonder why?

 

[newone]

south African time not exactly same as Swiss precision is it?

 

[PrimeSuspect]

We're back

Leigh-Anne Jansen ‏@LA_JANSEN 31s31 seconds ago

Proceedings resume

VZ: When you left Strand with the accused & deceased, you knew the money was in the pouch behind the passenger seat?

Tongo: Correct.

VZ: And you informed the young men?

Tongo: Correct

VZ: Telephonically?

Tongo: I can't remember if I sent them an sms or called, but I know I told them

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Leigh-Anne Jansen ‏@LA_JANSEN 45s45 seconds ago

Shrien pens another note & passes to his brother.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

EWN Reporter ‏@ewnreporter 2m2 minutes ago

Judge Traverso: was that before you left Strand?

Tongo: before.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Leigh-Anne Jansen ‏@LA_JANSEN 1m1 minute ago

Van Zyl reads from Tongo's statement in which he says he realised Dewani did not discuss the money & sent him a text.

Tongo says that part of his statement wasn't correct. As time went by, things resurfaced.

VZ: All of this was not true, it was a figment of your imagination. Is that what you're saying?

Tongo: Since there was a lot of communication, it's possible that at the time that I text the accused. If I remember, well, that happened in the Strand. Maybe at the time these details were taken down, he listed everything that happened in the Strand or along the way. What I am trying to say is that Mr. Dewani communicated about where the money was going to be. Whether it happened at Strand or along the way, there might be a mistake.

VZ: The problem goes much deeper than that.

 

[Britlaws]

I've had no luck in finding Mondo's statement, or Qwabe's either. Just have Xolile Mngeni and Tongo's statement. Both their statements have Mondo's agreement that Dewani ordered the hit.
But reading some news articles, this was Mondo' second statement, so he had changed his story and was offered immunity.

At the beginning of trial Qwabe claimed Mbolombo had no other role aside from being the link between himself and Tongo. Qwabe, like Tongo, want to lessen Mondo's involvement, I wonder why?

Mbolombo couldn't really say he wasn't involved with these guys because of the telephone calls between them and then the CCTV...but he could, as a 'fixer', tell them that if they implicated him any further he'd arrange someone to do something to them or their families?