Tourist Murdered while Looking for ‘Real Africa’

Added by Annika L. Krugel on November 16, 2010

The husband of murdered Swedish tourist Anni Dewani told UK tabloid the Sun that they made the fatal decision to go into Cape Town informal settlement Gugelethu on Saturday night because she wanted to see some of the “real Africa”.

British Shrien Dewani, 31, told the newspaper “She had never been to Africa before, so she suggested that we should have a look at the ‘real Africa,’” to provide a contrast to the “sterile” environment surrounding their luxury Cape Grace hotel.

The couple were headed towards popular tourist destination Mzoli’s Meat, described by UK celebrity chef Jamie Oliver as “totally sexy”, at around 23:00 on Saturday night when the shuttle car they were travelling in was stopped by hijackers while stationary at traffic lights.

The hijackers kicked out the driver and took off with the couple. After about 20 minutes Shrien was also kicked out of the car. The hijackers reportedly kept saying “We are not going to hurt you. We just want the car”, which was a lie.

Anni’s body was later found in the car in another part of the Cape Flats, Khayelitsha. The Sun reported that she was killed by a bullet that severed an artery.

Mzoli’s Meats close at 19:00 every night, which, according to tour company Direct Action Centre for Peace and Memory director Thabo Mbilatshwa, is because the owner knows how dangerous Gugulethu is at night.

Albert Fritz, Western Cape Community Safety MEC, said police are confident they will soon have the killers: “We have found positive forensic evidence in the car and we know exactly who the person is,” he said.