South Africa - Anni Dewani, 28, shot to death, Gugulethu, 13 Nov 2010 #4

[zwiebel]

vanessa poonah ‏@vanessapoonah01 17 mins17 minutes ago

#DewaniTrial van Zyl: just now when I asked you, you said you don't remember. MM: its possible that I gave it to him or not.#SABCNews

 

[Interested Bystander]

I still have no feeling about which way this case is going. On the evidence so far it is impossible for me to draw any conclusions other than the witnesses all appear to be capable of telling lies day after day. At the moment it would be grossly wrong to convict anyone on their evidence. I know I have said this before but I come to this case cold and that is important for me. I can only form an opinion on what I have heard so far.

 

[newone]

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/LIVE-Dewani-in-court-day-17-20141107
1020
MM says he doesn't want to lie but says he doesn't know why he did it.

 

[patCee]

Time: 10:22
Defence asks Mbolombo what did Qwabe say when he heard that the hit would earn him R15,000. He says Qwabe told him they had to meet to discuss the matter properly.

http://ewn.co.za/Features/dewani-live-blog

 

[zwiebel]

Is that Leigh Anne Jansen only just popping up on twitter? Something must have held her up today.

 

[newone]

1024
FvZ asking about the R5000 MM expected to get for the hit. MM says that's all he was expecting for hit.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/LIVE-Dewani-in-court-day-17-20141107

 

[patCee]

Judge asks Mbolombo if he’s ever been asked to arrange a hit before. He says no.

http://ewn.co.za/Features/dewani-live-blog

 

[newone]

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/LIVE-Dewani-in-court-day-17-20141107
1025
FvZ asks if MM knew how much ZT would be paid for the hit.
MM says he didn't know how much ZT would be getting
1026
Judge asks about MM's "financial difficulties". He confirms that was his reason for helping with hit.
1028
MM wearing what looks like the same suit and tie. Seemsa far more solid witness, thus far, than Tongo, says Lauren Hess

 

[zwiebel]

vanessa poonah ‏@vanessapoonah01 2 mins2 minutes ago

#DewaniTrial van Zyl: the only thing you thought you were going to get was R5k? MM: Yes.#SABCNews

 

[PrimeSuspect]

EWN Reporter ‏@ewnreporter 23m23 minutes ago

All rise. Van Zyl resumes cross examination of Mbolombo.

VZ: yesterday I asked you if you gave Qwabe's number to Tongo.

Mbolombo: don't remember.

VZ reads from the record, in it Mbolombo says he didn't give Tongo Qwabe's number.

VZ: is the evidence you gave yesterday is that correct?

Mbolombo: correct.

VZ: what is your version, did you give him Qwabe's cell number or not?

MM: yes, I did not give it to him.

VZ hands up Mbolombo's evidence from the Mngeni trial. Reads from it.

VZ reads "I also handed Abongile's cell number to Zola". You told that court that you handed the number to Zola, why did you tell that court that you did?

MM: its something that happened in 2010,wasn't certain.

MM: its something that happened long ago, cant remember it well, don't remember whether I gave it to him or not.

VZ:why is that number no longer listed in your contact list?

MM: I don't want to tell lies, Abongile's number is just not there

VZ:we went through a list of contacts and there is no number listed under "Abongile, Qwabe or spra".

VZ: I understand now from you that you have not deleted the contact.

MM: never deleted it.

Judge: who do you think deleted it?

MM: I don't know. Police took it, its still there.

VZ:raises the question how did Zola get it.

MM: I'm the one who had Abongile's number so he must have taken it from my phone

VZ: you told the court in Mngeni trial you told lies as so far as it involved you.

VZ:you say you met Qwabe at Monwabisi beach and he was in the company of people who looked like criminals.

VZ: you also asked him for the bullet later, and he brought it... but you didn't expect him to say he would do the job.

VZ: you thought he would ask one of the guys you thought looked like criminals to do job. Did you tell Mngeni trial this?

MM:I never thought of it at the time.

VZ: you didn't ask him why,what must the hit man do?

MM:he said there is someone who is looking for a hit man.

 

[patCee]

Van Zyl asks Mbolombo why he didn’t ask for his share after the lady was killed. He says when he met Qwabe the next day he was angry saying he had been short changed so he didn’t ask.

Time: 10:26
The defence asks if he knew how much Tongo would be getting. He says no.

Judge steps in; she says Mbolombo told the court he got involved in the crime because he was having financial difficulties. She wants to know who was going to pay him. The witness says he thought once everything was over he was going to meet with Tongo or Qwabe to get the money but it was never discussed.

http://ewn.co.za/Features/dewani-live-blog

 

[Britlaws]

I still have no feeling about which way this case is going. On the evidence so far it is impossible for me to draw any conclusions other than the witnesses all appear to be capable of telling lies day after day. At the moment it would be grossly wrong to convict anyone on their evidence. I know I have said this before but I come to this case cold and that is important for me. I can only form an opinion on what I have heard so far.

It would be a travesty if SD were convicted merely on the testimony thus far of his so called conspirators but it would equally be a travesty if a guilty man went free because the SA police and prosecutors took the easy way out and thought they'd get away with it

 

[newone]

Lauren Hess @LaurenH_ZA
Follow
Though, this is the guy who admitted to previously lying to police about his role in the murder... #DewaniTrial

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/LIVE-Dewani-in-court-day-17-20141107

 

[PrimeSuspect]

EWN Reporter ‏@ewnreporter 13m13 minutes ago

VZ: what do you think a hit man does?

MM: kills people.

VZ: a serious crime?

MM:why didn't you tell him I'm not a criminal.

 

[newone]

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/LIVE-Dewani-in-court-day-17-20141107

1032

FvZ asks if MM made a new statement because he'd heard about the CCtv footage at the hotel.

MM says that it's not only because of the footage but because he wanted to tell the truth

 

[patCee]

Van Zyl wants to know if there ever talk of paying the hitmen R9000 and the R1000 kept for the middleman. Mbolombo says he saw that on the CCTV but can’t recall it being discussed.

The defence wants him to explain the statement he gave in September 2014 after being confronted with CCTV footage from his workplace. He says it’s not only because he saw the footage; he maintains he wanted to tell the truth.

Judge Traverso asks, “The whole truth and nothing but the truth?”



http://ewn.co.za/Features/dewani-live-blog

 

[zwiebel]

What their testimony is showing to me is that they were all far too casual and inept to all have conspired together to plan to implicate Dewani. There's no way they could have done it.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

EWN Reporter ‏@ewnreporter 17m17 minutes ago

MM: I don't want to tell lies I don't know why I did it.

VZ: you spoke to Qwabe who wanted to know how much this person wants to pay,so you asked Tongo and he said R15k.

VZ: what did Qwabe say when you told him?

MM: he said we have to meet because we can't discuss this properly over the phone.

The middleman is under cross-examination. He’s answering “I don’t know” to most questions.

MM: It was after I dropped the phone and spoke to Zola. It was just a conversation, it wasn't an arrangement.

Judge:had you ever been asked before to arrange a hit man?

MM:never.

Judge:must have been a very serious thing for you

VZ questions why Mobolombo didn't ask for his money after the hit was carried out?

VZ:your evidence yesterday is that Qwabe was angry about being short-changed so you didn't ask about your money, the only thing you thought you would get out of this was R5k?

Monde: correct.

 

[patCee]

What their testimony is showing to me is that they were all far too casual and inept to all have conspired together to plan to implicate Dewani. There's no way they could have done it.

I think this is such a good point, it would have taken a lot of conferring and memory and guile for the past 3 years, and the murder shows what bungling, nasty people they are.

 

[Britlaws]

What their testimony is showing to me is that they were all far too casual and inept to all have conspired together to plan to implicate Dewani. There's no way they could have done it.

So inept, yet the police and prosecutors originally bought their stories hook line and sinker and were prepared to spend millions of rand on extradition proceedings, a private plane for SD and a lengthy trial on this basis.