Anni Dewani's uncle has called on the NPA to probe how documents central to the case were "leaked" to the media.
|||Cape Town - Anni Dewani’s uncle says the murder case is “a mess” and has called on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to investigate how documents central to it were apparently leaked to the media.
“It’s been a mess from day one. It still is a mess. Why can’t they keep the papers safe? They should be locked up… This does not look good for the South African authorities. It’s a shame,” Ashok Hindocha told the Cape Times in a phone interview on Sunday.
Hindocha said it appeared that in South Africa not only could one buy a murderer, but also sensitive court documents.
UK channel BBC One was advertising a Panorama documentary to be aired on Thursday, The Honeymoon Murder: Who Killed Anni?, which questioned whether Shrien Dewani was innocent.
Its website said: “BBC Panorama has obtained the secret police files which make up the prosecution case against the 33-year-old Bristol businessman, and has commissioned leading forensic experts to review all the evidence. Their findings expose fundamental mistakes both in the police investigation and in the interpretation of forensic evidence.”
A short clip on the documentary showed footage including what appeared to be an identity parade and said it would air new CCTV footage as well as “reveal witness lies and incompetence”.
News of the documentary made headlines in SA as well as the UK at the weekend, with the UK publication the Daily Mail showing an image of Dewani apparently distraught after hearing Anni had been murdered, but then in another image smiling.
On Sunday. Hindocha said he had e-mailed Director of Public Prosecutions Rodney de Kock asking how the documents were leaked.
“The South African authorities must do an investigation into how the papers came into the hands of the media. It’s jeopardising the case,” he said. “I don’t want the journalist to be the jury.”
Hindocha said the BBC had indicated to him that it had neither paid for, nor stolen, any documents. On Sunday, NPA spokesman Eric Ntabazalila could not yet say whether it would probe who had leaked the documents.
Dewani is accused of masterminding Anni's murder on November 13, 2010.
Anni’s convicted hit man, Xolile Mngeni, was sentenced to life imprisonment in December. Previously his co-accused, Mziwamadoda Qwabe and Zola Tongo, entered into plea and sentencing agreements with the State and were sentenced to 25 and 18 years’ imprisonment respectively.
caryn.dolley@inl.co.za
Cape Times