Xolile Mngeni's trial has been postponed several times because of his poor health. In June last year he had surgery to remove a brain tumour. Mngeni's legal team questioned if he would be fit enough to stand trail.
Xolile Mngeni, the man accused of firing the shot that killed Anni Dewani, is due to go on trial in Cape Town today. The newlywed was killed while on honeymoon there in November 2010.
Xolile Mngeni is appearing after his co-accused, hitman Mziwamadoda Qwabe, admitted to the killing and was jailed for 25 years.
Anni Dewani's husband Shrien is fighting extradition from Britain over her murder and has always denied any involvement in her death.
A man accused of being hired by Shrien Dewani to kill his bride on their honeymoon has been jailed for 25 years after admitting murder.
Read the full storyThe uncle of Anni Dewani, the British bride who was killed on honeymoon in South Africa, has said that the latest conviction is a step forward, but that there are still lots of unanswered questions.
In a phone interview with ITV News, Ashok Hindocha said the past 21 months have been "legal torture" for the family.
Mziwamadoda Qwabe was given a 25 year prison sentence for his involvement in the murder of Anni Dewani after he promised to cooperate with prosecutors, officials said today.
Part of Qwabe's plea agreement requires him to testify against other people accused in the case, including Mrs Dewani's husband, Shrien.
Mr Dewani is accused of hiring Qwabe and Xolile Mngeni - who still faces charges - to kill his new wife while they were on their honeymoon in Cape Town.
A British court heard last week that Mr Dewani needed a year to recover from depression before he would be able to face extradition proceedings.
He has been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression, and his lawyers argue that his health and life will be at risk if he is extradited to South Africa to face trial.
Mr Dewani, from Bristol, is due at Westminster Magistrates' Court on September 18 when the chief magistrate, Howard Riddle, will be given an update on his condition.
Mr Dewani claims he and his wife were hijacked while travelling in a taxi through Cape Town in November 2010. While he was ejected from the vehicle, Mrs Dewani was later found murdered in the abandoned taxi.
He was allowed to leave South Africa before the taxi driver, Zola Tonga, claimed the newlywed had offered him 15,000 rand (around £1,200) to arrange the killing and make it look like a carjacking.
The family of murdered British honeymooner Anni Dewani has expressed happiness over today's conviction.
However, they said the full truth of "what really happened" to Mrs Dewani would not be known until her husband, Shrien Dewani, travels to South Africa to face trial.
– Anni Dewani's uncle Ashok HindochaWe are just happy. Two of the accused have now pleaded guilty.
Now we want to know what really happened to Anni, why they killed her.
With a case like this, everything comes back again. The way we feel is that we are going through legal torture. It is extremely stressful for the family.
One of the two men accused of being hired by newlywed Shrien Dewani to kill his bride on their Cape Town honeymoon was jailed for 25 years today after admitting murder.
Anni Dewani, 28, was shot dead and her body found in an abandoned taxi in an impoverished township in November 2010.
South African media is reporting that a Western Cape man has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and killing British honeymooner Anni Dewani.
Mziwamadoda Qwabe pleaded guilty to kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, murder, and illegal possession of firearm, iafrica.com reports.
His lawyer Daniel Theunissen said a plea agreement had been reached and had been signed.
Last week, a British court heard that Anni's husband Shrien needed a year to recover from depression before facing extradition proceedings.
The judge presiding over the case of a man accused of ordering the contract killing of his wife has adjourned the case to 18 September to consider psychiatric reports from experts. Shrien Dewani will attend only if well enough.
The Defence and the CPS have asked the judge to consider whether a further adjournment of a year is necessary.
The defence of Shrien Dewani have quoted his psychiatrist today saying that he has made some progress with his mental health, remains on drug treatment and is in compulsory detention in a psyciatric unit until May 2013. Mr Dewani has been accused of ordering his wife's murder on their honeymoon.
With both his mental conditions - a depressive illness and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - he has moved from a severe to a moderate diagnosis.
He remains at risk of suicide, though this is decreasing. His recovery is slow and they argue that it will be impeded by more court hearings at this time. They say his best prospects of recovery are if there is an adjournment of 12 months.
Mr Dewani remains, according to his psychiatrist, unable to give an account of himself, with his memory loss possibly linked to his PTSD condition.
