Cape Town - Convicted killer Thandi Maqubela helped many
people in her personal capacity and as a business woman, the Western Cape High
Court heard on Monday.
Called as a defence witness in mitigation of Maqubela's
sentence, Beatrice Khakhaza, 71, described the impact she had had on her
employees and others.
She was being questioned by Maqubela's lawyer Thomas
Tyler.
Khakhaza had managed her leather goods store in
Claremont, Cape Town, and then her hair salons around Cape Town.
She said Maqubela had wanted to open a retirement home in
Johannesburg and Cape Town.
"She said she wanted to assist the aged people who
are being ill-treated by their children. She didn't like to see anyone
struggling," Khakhaza said through a Xhosa interpreter.
Maqubela helped her employees pay for their children's
school uniforms and goods without deducting it from their salaries, the court
heard.
When she changed her business focus, she gave a hair
salon away to a loyal employee as a gift and closed the others.
Khakhaza said Maqubela took out retirement policies for
her.
When Maqubela travelled to her late husband's homestead
in the Eastern Cape, she was dissatisfied with the conditions his mother and
two sisters were living in and had building material delivered to them from
Johannesburg.
When Khakhaza went there for a funeral, she saw the
"beautiful house" and "mansion" that had been built there.
The former manager said Maqubela had helped many with her
Forever Living health products scheme, which she was passionate about.
"Whenever she opened her mouth, she would talk about
Forever and she had thousands and thousands of people [working underneath her].
"I mean to say that people are having businesses
today and they started off with Forever," she said.
Khakhaza became emotional when asked how the trial had
affected Maqubela, saying it had "disabled" her.
"She is not herself. That is why I am so
upset."
As with the other defence witnesses called on Monday,
prosecutor Bonnie Currie-Gamwo did not cross-examine Khakhaza was she excused
from the stand.
In November 2013, the same court found Maqubela guilty of
killing her acting judge husband Patrick Maqubela in June 2009, despite not
having conclusive medical evidence pinpointing a cause of death.
She was found guilty of forging her husband's will and
committing fraud by causing potential prejudice to his estate.
The judge was based at the Western Cape High Court at the
time of his death.
On Monday, a Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital report was
handed up following Maqubela's 60-day observation.
Judge John Murphy declared she was fit to understand the
proceedings and conduct her defence.
Tyler indicated he would call more witnesses when
sentencing proceedings resumed on Wednesday.
