Share

Anni wanted a baby - defence

Cape Town - Anni Dewani went to a doctor before her honeymoon in November 2010 because she was planning to fall pregnant, her husband's lawyer told the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday.

Francois van Zyl, for murder accused Shrien Dewani, said he had medical notes which showed she visited the doctor on 4 November 2010 and informed him she was trying to conceive.

She also told him she was not on contraceptives and the doctor advised her to take tablets for improving her fertility.

Van Zyl, cross-examining Anni's cousin and State witness Sneha Mashru, said this made her testimony about a supposedly rocky relationship strange.

"I have to put it to you that what she told the doctor, that she wanted to become pregnant, that she wanted to get medication, flies in the face of what you told me about divorce."

Mashru did not seem to waiver from her evidence-in-chief and repeated that when Anni came back from her wedding in India, she spoke to her about not wanting go on honeymoon.

Dewani is accused of the murder of his wife during their honeymoon in Cape Town in November 2010. He has pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him, maintaining that the couple were the victims of a hijacking on 13 November 2010.

The State alleges that he conspired with others to stage the hijacking in return for R15 000.

Her slumped body was found in the abandoned shuttle taxi in Khayelitsha the following day.

Mashru said Anni would have told her about wanting to get pregnant and had been on a double dose of prescription medicine to clear her skin. She was warned to use double contraception for at least a month after taking the tablets because there could be genetic defects or a miscarriage if she fell pregnant.

‘Anni's sex life was not good’

Van Zyl said Anni had sent a text message to her mother-in-law telling her she was having a great time on honeymoon.

He asked whether she knew if his client was aware of the conversations she and her cousin had had about divorce.

Mashru said while she applied make-up to Anni for her henna party, Anni told her she and Dewani had decided to act for the rest of the wedding.

"I know for a fact that Shrien and Anni's sex life was not good because Shrien was having problems having an erection," Mashru said.

Van Zyl asked whether her acne tablets may have affected her mood.

She replied that Anni seemed the same and that she was only tearful because she was having issues with Dewani.

Dewani would say that his wife stopped taking the tablets in August 2010.

Mashru replied that Anni told her during a 50th birthday party on 14 August that she was taking the tablets.

The court ruled that the doctor's notes were of a personal nature and would not be made available to the media.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 550 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 794 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.88
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.37
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.3%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE