INLSA

Thandi Maqubela has been accused of murdering her husband, the then acting high court judge Patrick Maqubela in 2009.

Slain acting judge Patrick Maqubela was taken aback by his wife meeting Justice Minister Jeff Radebe over his love affairs, the Western Cape High Court heard on Wednesday.

The judge's widow Thandi is on trial for his murder.

Radebe told the court of a meeting the widow arranged with him, the day before the judge's murder, to discuss the judge's extra-marital affairs.

Radebe telephoned the judge afterwards to arrange a meeting where Radebe would inform him of the allegations about his affairs, and that his wife wanted to go public about it.

“I tried to convey to him that his wife is very angry about his affairs, and wants to go public about it. I tried to say in my small way that, hey, it's time to stop,” Radebe said.

He said the judge wanted an appointment with him to discuss the possibility of a permanent appointment to the Bench, and had thought this to be the purpose of the meeting.

“He thought I was responding to his request for a meeting, and at the meeting he told me how he was doing as an acting judge until I dropped the bombshell,” he said.

“I told him his wife had come to see me, and I described in detail what she had said.

“He was sort of taken aback, and was very disappointed that this had happened. He said he was very shocked that she had come to see me.

“He said he knew about what she had told me, and that she had communicated the same information to his friends, and to some of the judges in the Eastern Cape.”

The wife had also distributed photographs of his genitals to his family, said Radebe. The judge was not angry that his wife had met him, just disappointed.

“He made it clear at the end of the meeting that he wanted a separation from his wife.”

Radebe said the judge told him at the end of the meeting that he had made up his mind about a separation, and was going to meet his wife that same evening about it.

The next day - the day that the judge was murdered - the widow sent Radebe an SMS message asking if he had spoken to her husband.

“I said yes, and that I would call her later. Later, she sent me another SMS to say that whatever I had said to her husband had made him a better person, but that only time would tell,” said Radebe.

The trial continues. - Sapa