George Gwaze says he was always confident he would be acquitted of his niece's murder and rape.

The family of Gwaze broke into applause when he was found not guilty of violating and murdering 10-year-old Charlene Makaza.

A Christchurch jury majority today acquitted Gwaze after about 14 hours of deliberation, starting Friday.

Supplied Charlene Makaza

The jury returned to the High Court in Christchurch at 12.45pm today to deliver the verdict. Majority verdicts were reached on two charges, one of sexual violation and one of murder. Yesterday they indicated they were struggling to reach a majority.

Gwaze said after the verdicts, "it was quite a relief".

A former veterinarian in Zimbabwe, Gwaze came to New Zealand in 2004. He and his wife had adopted Charlene and her sister Charmaine when their parents died in Zimbabwe.

STACY SQUIRES/Fairfax NZ NOT GUILTY: George Gwaze outside court after today's verdicts.

Gwaze was alleged to have injured Charlene in a violent sexual attack in their home in Bryndwr, Christchurch, on January 5-6, 2007. She died on January 7 in Christchurch Hospital.

He said "things that never happened" were brought to court. "The truth is out now."

Gwaze said he always knew the accusations were false and the judge had told the jury they had to be sure so he was always confident.

"It should never have come to this. The guesswork that was done by the hospital people. It is amazing.''

"I just kept composed and I knew I had people all over the world thinking about me, people were praying and people encouraging me that this never happened.

"The girl was sick and that is it.''

His wife Sifiso said afterwards she was very relieved and "so happy". She was in court to hear the verdicts, along with the couple's four children.

"It has been a terrible experience for us," she said.

Her husband had believed in himself and she had known, "right from the word go nothing had happened''.

It was sad thinking about Charlene now, she said.

Gwaze's 25-year-old daughter Nothando Musesengwa, a law student, said it had been a hard five years since Charlene died.

"Our lives were just never the same and we hope now we can finally move on and grieve for Charlene. Even before she died we had people jumping to the wrong conclusions so now at least we can finally let her rest.''

Waiting for the verdict was very tense, she said.

"We are just so grateful. It is so hard on the jury and I want to thank the juries (in each trial). Charlene died of natural causes and we just want people to respect that now.''

"At one point we thought we were going through a lot of racial discrimination but we hope that the justice system can use this case to improve.''

THE CASE

The Crown contended Charlene died from suffocation inflicted to stop her crying out. The defence maintained she had died from the rapid onset of infection connected with her HIV positive condition.

It said her injuries were caused by underlying HIV damage to the tissues possibly aggravated by medical intervention.

Gwaze, 60, in a neat dark suit and black tie stood calmly in the dock to hear the decision. His face showed little emotion as the jury settled his fate.

His family and supporters in the public gallery, who had been praying throughout their vigil outside the courtroom, burst into clapping.

The trial lasted four weeks and heard from about 75 witnesses.

Gwaze was first tried on the charges in 2008 when the jury acquitted him after deliberating briefly.

However the Crown appealed due to the trial judge admitting as evidence the opinion of South African paediatric surgeon Heinz Rode, who met the Christchurch surgeon Spencer Beasley, a Crown witness in the case, at a conference in Hong Kong during the trial.

Rode told Beasley he had seen anal damage in HIV children who had died suddenly and Beasley felt duty bound to convey the information to the court. Rode was not called to give evidence in the latest trial.

In May 2010 the Supreme Court ordered a new trial saying the evidence should not have been admitted.

POLICE OFFER SYMPATHY

Detective Senior Sergeant David Harvey said police wanted to acknowledge the "very difficult time" that Charlene's families had been through - both the Makaza family in Zimbabwe and the Gwaze family in Christchurch.

"They have been through a great deal during the investigation and prosecution over the past five years, and we again express our sympathy to them over the loss of Charlene," he said.

He also acknowledged the "exemplary medical treatment" that Charlene received from medical staff, both at the Christchurch 24-Hour Surgery and at Christchurch Hospital's emergency department and intensive care unit.

"The expertise and assistance of a large number of specialists and expert witnesses has also been highly valued by police over the course of this and previous prosecutions".

Police would not be making any comment on the verdict, he said.