A 62-year-old geologist claimed in the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday that his gardener murdered his ex-wife of his own accord because he was angry about his salary and a reprimand.
Counsel for murder accused Cobus Prinsloo put it to self-confessed killer Lucas Moloi that he was lying when he said that Prinsloo offered him R50,000 and a house to kill his wife.
Moloi was jailed for 18 years last week for murdering Prinsloo's ex-wife Cordelia on a smallholding near Kameeldrift, in Pretoria, two years ago.
He was testifying for the State against his former employer on Tuesday.
Moloi insisted that he liked both Prinsloo and his wife and that it had never been his idea to murder her.
He earlier admitted to beating her to death with a spade in her garden while she was looking the other way.
He then wrapped her body in plastic and put it in a flower bed.
He claimed Prinsloo had assured him that he would remove the corpse. He said Prinsloo had given him R500 and a bag containing a firearm on the night of the murder.
Prinsloo denied having anything to do with his ex-wife's murder.
He admitted that they had obtained protection orders against each other after their divorce and had been involved in a dispute about property.
Prinsloo's advocate Louis de Klerk SC put it to Moloi that he was not happy with the salary Prinsloo had paid him and was angry because he had to work as a gardener and not as a security guard.
Moloi earlier testified that he had been a registered security guard in Rustenburg before Prinsloo offered him a job.
At the time he believed Prinsloo owned a security firm in Pretoria.
De Klerk put it to Moloi that he was unhappy and cross about being reprimanded for over-fertilising palm trees and for refusing to dig a hole in the garden at Prinsloo's property.
“Because of this you decided yourself to kill Mrs Prinsloo,” De Klerk said.
Moloi said he had never thought about killing her and had never had any problems with her.
Moloi admitted that a statement he had made to a magistrate differed from his evidence in court in many respects.
The trial continues. - Sapa