Dewani hires SA legal team after ruling

The ink had barely dried on a British court ruling paving the way for Shrien Dewani's extradition when he hired a top legal firm to represent him in South Africa.

Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs is assembling a team of expert criminal lawyers to defend Dewani if and when he goes on trial at the High Court in Cape Town for allegedly murdering his bride, Anni Dewani.

Anni died in what was said to be a hijacking incident in Cape Town while on honeymoon in November last year.

Taxi driver Zola Tongo claimed Dewani had asked him to hire two men to kill Anni in a fake hijacking. Tongo is serving an 18-year jail sentence for his part in Anni's death.

Judge Howard Riddle ruled on Wednesday that Dewani be extradited. He told the Belmarsh Magistrate's Court that he had confidence in the South African justice system and sent his ruling to Damian Green, the UK immigration minister, and British Home Secretary Theresa May, for final approval of the extradition.

They have eight weeks to approve or reject the extradition. Dewani can appeal the decision.

Dewani's defence team had argued that he was mentally unfit to stand trial and would face violent sexual assault and the risk of HIV infection in a South African prison.

In his ruling, Judge Riddle said: "Either Mr Dewani arranged for his new bride to be brutally murdered or he has been the victim himself of the most terrible tragedy."

Anni's older sister, Ami Denborg, an engineer in Stockholm, Sweden, and her father, Vinod Hindocha, left the court in tears. "We all went to the mandir (Hindu temple) and prayed for Anni. I can still see her, so radiant at her wedding," said Denborg.

"We are a very close-knit family, but the two of us were even closer. We shared all our secrets and got up to mischief together. I really miss her a lot."

Ami said she had told her two young children "that if they want to say anything to Anni, they can go into their rooms and talk to a small photo of (Anni). Alicia went into her room and started talking to the photo ... she said that she told Anni that she loved her and that she misses her .... She (Anni) dreamed about having her own kids someday."

A candlelight vigil will be held for Anni on August 27 in Trafalgar Square, London.

UK publicist Max Clifford, hired by Shrien Dewani's family after the murder, said he had not taken payment from them for six months.

Clifford charges £20000 a month: "The family paid me for three months after the murder. Since March I've not billed them because I know their situation," he said.