SA tackles Dewani 'puzzle'

South African investigators are hoping to build a "watertight" case against Shrien Dewani during the UK leg of their investigations into the murder of Dewani's wife Anni, the justice department said on Thursday.

"The idea here is to put pieces of the puzzle together and be able to present a watertight case in court, should Mr Dewani be extradited to SA to stand trial," said spokesperson Tlali Tlali.

The South African government made two requests to the UK authorities — one for the extradition of Dewani and the second for mutual legal assistance.

Anni Dewani was murdered on honeymoon in November after an apparent spur-of-the-moment decision to visit Gugulethu outside of Cape Town after leaving a beachside dinner.

Their driver, Zola Tongo, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in December in a plea agreement that implicated Dewani and two other people in Anni's murder.

Earlier, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe was quoted by the SABC as saying that Dewani's right to a fair trail was protected in terms of the Constitution.

"He is presumed innocent until proven otherwise. He has a right to be represented by legal counsel and he can be able to challenge any evidence that can be used against him," he said.