Maqubela lied about whereabouts - witness

Thandi Maqubela phoned a Cape Town High Court judge from Johannesburg, but said she was in East London, on the day her husband was found dead.

This emerged in court yesterday when Judge Dennis van Reenen took the stand.

Maqubela, together with former pastor Vela Mabhena, is charged with the murder of her husband, Acting Judge Patrick Maqubela. They have all pleaded not guilty.

At the time of Maqubela's death, Van Reenen was a senior judge in the division, Judge President John Hlophe was on "involuntary leave" and his deputy, Judge Jeanette Traverso, had a personal matter to attend to.

The judge was allegedly suffocated at his luxury apartment in Bantry Bay on June 5 2009.

Van Reenen testified yesterday that, on Sunday June 7 2009, he was shopping when a woman called him on his cellphone, identified herself as Mrs Thandi Maqubela.

She said she had an arrangement with the late judge to go to the Eastern Cape and that when he had not arrived, she had left alone, Van Reenen testified.

He said the woman had told him that she was phoning from East London and that she was going to their family home in Johannesburg.

Van Reenen told her to phone him again if there were any developments, but she never did.

He said he was surprised when he found out later that the call was made from a land-line telephone in Johannesburg, and not East London.

Maqubela's advocate, Marius Broeksma, said Thandi Maqubela made the call from OR Tambo International Airport and she had no reason to misrepresent the facts.

People who knew her well were aware of where she was.

The trial continues on Monday.