The murder trial of Thandi Maqubela, accused of killing her husband, an acting judge, was postponed by the Western Cape High Court.
|||Cape Town - The murder trial of Thandi Maqubela, accused of killing her husband, acting judge Patrick Maqubela, was postponed by the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday.
The matter will be back in court on March 19.
The State alleges Maqubela and her co-accused Vela Mabena
suffocated the judge with cling-wrap in his Sea Point, Cape Town, apartment on June 5, 2009.
Maqubela and Mabena have denied this and claim he died of natural causes. Prosecutors closed their case against them last week.
Maqubela's defence team gave notice last week of an application before the court on Tuesday for Maqubela to testify, but only after other defence witnesses had completed their evidence. Procedure would normally require Maqubela to testify first.
On Tuesday, Maqubela's defence said it had decided to abandon the intended application. Due to the complexities of the case, it needed time to consider its options.
Murphy said he was willing to make some allowances, but the case would proceed next Tuesday, whatever the circumstances.
On Thursday, Murphy dismissed a defence application for Maqubela to be acquitted.
The application was based on the grounds that the State had not made out a prima facie case against her and she therefore had no case to meet. Murphy ruled the State had made out a case against her.
Maqubela faces additional charges of forgery, for allegedly forging her husband's will after his death, and fraud. - Sapa