Family lash out at pro-Shrien MP

A British member of parliament has joined the row over the extradition of murder accused Shrien Dewani.

Dewani is due to appear in Belmarsh magistrate's court in London tomorrow in his bid to fight extradition to South Africa.

Dewani, 31, a Bristol businessman, is accused of ordering the murder of his bride, Anni, 28, in November while on honeymoon in Cape Town.

Fiona Mactaggart, Labour MP for Slough, approached the House of Commons and said "she was shown convincing evidence that Shrien will not get a fair trial in SA".

She asked the UK's secretary of state for justice, Kenneth Clarke, to "reconsider extraditing" Dewani.

Her call has left Anni's family fuming. Anni's uncle, Ashok Hindocha, said the family was very upset about Mactaggart's "interference".

"I've been told she has had a talk with Shrien and on the basis of this decided that he will not get a fair hearing in South Africa," he said.

"The fact is that the UK has an existing treaty with SA. If conditions in the prisons are that bad, why did Britain enter into an agreement with SA?

"She was stupid to make this call. She has shown she has no faith in the British judges who have to rule in this matter."

Anni's sister, Ami Denborg, wrote to Mactaggart demanding that she explain her actions.

Denborg wrote: "Can you please explain to me why you - as a politician - are interfering with an ongoing case, when the matter is supposed to be decided in a UK court of law?

"We want justice for my murdered sister and we want answers to what happened to her on the night she died. It is up to the courts to decide whether Shrien will get a fair trial or not, NOT up to you."

Mactaggart has responded to the family, but the family declined to reveal what she said. The MP's office did not respond to questions from the Sunday Times.

Hindocha confirmed plans to hold a candlelight vigil for Anni in Trafalgar Square on August 27.

The case was thrown into the spotlight again this week when Channel 4 in the UK broadcast a documentary on the case, Murder on Honeymoon.

It claimed that South African police have been working on the theory that Dewani led a gay double life and paid for his wife to be killed after she threatened to end their marriage.

It also claimed that Dewani did not sleep with Anni before they married, nor on their wedding night. It reports that Anni cried herself to sleep on a sofa after a big row.

Hindocha said the family found the documentary extremely sad, but it was an "accurate" portrayal of what happened. "We have no complaints," he said.

Hindocha said the family tried unsuccessfully to get more information on Dewani's claim of ill health when he tried to have his bail conditions relaxed two weeks ago.

"We've tried to find out exactly what this 'rare blood condition' is that he is suffering from. But at court we were told that this is confidential information between a doctor and his patient," he said.

He said the family was also concerned about the health of one of the two other men charged with the murder. Xolile Mngeni, 23, is suffering from a malignant brain tumour and there is doubt over whether he will be fit to appear in a Cape Town court with his co-accused, Mziwamadoda Qwabe, 26, next month. Dewani, who denies all charges, is being held under the Mental Health Act at a secure mental hospital in Bristol. The hearing in the UK is expected to focus on Dewani's safety in an SA jail and whether he is mentally fit to stand trial.