Dewani arrives in SA

British murder accused Shrien Dewani has landed at Cape Town International Airport, just after 9.30am, from London.

According to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development spokesperson, Mthunzi Mhaga, Dewani will be immediately escorted to the Western Cape High Court, where he is expected to appear for the first time in a South African court of law at 11:30am. There he will be formally charged and processed by the investigating team. He will be charged with murder and is expected to face charges relating to conspiracy to commit murder and defeating the ends of justice. Dewani is accused of orchestrating the murder of his wife, Anni, while on honeymoon in November 2010. He claims he and his wife were kidnapped at gunpoint as they drove through Gugulethu, and that he was released unharmed.

Dewani arrived in the country today on a chartered flight procured by the department. Mhaga said the use of the private aircraft was informed by Dewani's peculiar medical condition, which needs to be monitored. The use of a commercial flight, Mhaga said, had the potential to compromise Dewani and that could have an adverse effect on the pending medical examination.

"We took into account the fact that there was undisputed evidence during the extradition hearing that he had displayed suicidal tendencies and the South African government did not want to take chances. "There was a need to ensure that Dewani and the whole team are secure, and that would have been difficult on a commercial flight with many passengers, which had the potential to compromise their security, as his identity is now well known," said Mhaga.

Dewani has been fighting removal from the UK on the grounds of mental health problems, including severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Before the trial, Dewani will first undergo a psychiatric assessment to determine if he is fit to stand trial. If he is not fit to stand trial within 18 months, he will be returned to the UK, as agreed by the British and South African authorities.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201404080468.html

Is there any hope for Zimbabwe opposition?

After being pummeled in the last election, and riven with infighting and recrimination in the months since, Zimbabwe's political opposition is at its lowest ebb in a decade. The Daily Maverick asks the obvious question: if not Zanu, then who? The answer makes for disheartening reading - unless your name's Robert Mugabe, and you've got a country you want to keep running.

It wasn't just losing last year's election that dealt a knock-out blow to Zimbabwe's main opposition groups, in particular Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change faction (MDC-T); it was how the election was lost, by such a wide margin that even if Zanu-PF had rigged the elections - and we're not saying they did, although we have our suspicions - it did not need to.

Look at it this way: despite everything that Robert Mugabe has done, despite the economic calamities he has presided over the and the steady erosion of basic rights he has legislated, a majority of Zimbabweans would rather have Mugabe and his henchmen in charge than trust in any of the alternatives.

For Morgan Tsvangirai, this realisation must be a particularly bitter pill. The veteran opposition leader, now 62, came as close as anyone has...

Read the full story on the Daily Maverick website.