No more delays in slain judge trial

2011-04-01 18:03

Cape Town - Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe on Friday refused any further postponement of the trial involving the widow of slain judge Patrick Maqubela.

Hlophe said a court room had been allocated for the case at the Wynberg Magistrate's Court.

Hlophe made the announcement during the final pre-trial conference at the Western Cape High Court on Friday.

He said a judge from the North Gauteng High Court had been appointed to preside over the hearing, but he was not at liberty to disclose who the judge was, nor did the media have access to information in the court file.

Accused set to plea

Hlophe said any application for further postponements of the case would have to be directed to the trial judge.

The trial was scheduled for April 11, when the slain judge's widow, Thandi Maqubela and her co-accused, Vela Mabena would plead to a charge of murder.

At Friday's proceedings, the prosecution was represented by State advocates Bonnie Currie-Gamwo and Pedro van Wyk.

The State said they had furnished the defence team with details needed to prepare the defence, but defence counsel Morne Calitz, for Maqubela, was not satisfied with the details and wanted a further postponement.

Currie-Gamwo said she had requested additional forensic reports that Calitz required, and Calitz would be notified as soon as the additional reports were received.

Defence requests more reports

Calitz said case law was clear on what the defence was entitled to, but the details furnished by the prosecution fell far short of this.

"The details are not even close to the standards required," he said.

Currie-Gamwo explained that the forensic reports already furnished to Calitz and attorney Randal Titus, for Mabena, were sufficient for the purposes of the prosecution.

The additional reports needed by Calitz were for defence purposes, she said.

The deceased was an acting judge at the time of his death and was found dead in June last year in his luxury apartment in Bantry Bay.

Both Maqubela and Mabena are out on bail.
 

- SAPA