CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Even in this crime-plagued country it stood out as a tragedy: A honeymooning couple from abroad is carjacked and the wife’s body is found in their abandoned taxi the next morning.
In a twist revealed Tuesday in court, however, the taxi driver confessed that it was no random act of violence — that he was hired by the husband to kill his bride.
By accepting the confession in a plea bargain, South African authorities gave credence to the driver’s story but would not immediately confirm that the husband, Shrien Dewani of Britain, was being sought in the death of his 28-year-old wife, Anni.
In a statement later Tuesday, Dewani’s family said the 31-year-old businessman was “totally innocent of any involvement in this heinous crime.”
“These allegations are totally ludicrous and very hurtful to a young man who is grieving the loss of the woman he loved, his chosen life partner,” the statement said, adding that Dewani was receiving trauma and bereavement counseling in Britain.
The family said South African police had not sought to speak to Dewani about the driver’s allegations. The statement also referred to reports that two other suspects in the case have complained they were tortured into making false confessions.
The couple, both of Indian descent, had married in India two weeks before arriving in South Africa last month. Photographs from their traditional wedding show them smiling in jewels and richly embroidered robes. (AP)
