South African man gets 25 years for Anni Dewani murder

A south African man on Wednesday pleaded guilty of being hired by a British-Indian to kill his wife while on their honeymoon and was sentenced to 25 years in prison, raising the prospects of early extradition and trial of the accused businessman husband.

Mziwamadoda Qwabe was one of two men accused by prosecution of being hired by British-Indian businessman Shrien Dewani to kill 28-year-old Anni Dewani, a Swedish of Indian-origin, in a township near Cape Town during the couple's honeymoon in November 2010.

Qwabe pleaded guilty to kidnapping, robbery, murder and illegal possession of a firearm and the Western Cape High Court sentenced him on all counts — 15 years for robbery, five years each for kidnapping and illegal possession of a firearm and 25 years for murder. In March, a British court had ruled against immediate extradition of Shrien to South Africa, saying it would be "unjust and oppressive".

The judges cited Shrien's mental condition since his arrest in December 2010 for the ruling. Shrien has repeatedly denied all allegations.

Qwabe pleaded guilty to all charges. His lawyer Daniel Theunissen said he had signed a plea agreement, according to South Africa's SAPA news agency.

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