Former first lady Marike de Klerk’s dance instructor John Thebus on Wednesday denied claims that he stabbed and strangled her in her beachfront apartment.
Thebus, in the witness box in the Cape High Court, was commenting on the version of events put forward by Luyanda Mboniswa, who has been charged with her murder.
Confronted by defence advocate Hugo Rossouw with the claim that he promised Mboniswa R20 000 and a motor vehicle for being an accomplice, Thebus replied:
”That’s completely untrue, because the car I drive is a company car. I couldn’t possibly have given it away.”
”It is further our instructions that you indicated to our client that there would be nobody dead,” Rossouw said.
”Untrue,” replied Thebus.
According to Rossouw, Mboniswa, who was then a security guard at De Klerk’s Dolphin Beach complex, said Thebus arranged to meet at public toilets just outside the complex on the night of December 2 last year.
Thebus had taken off his shoes to climb onto De Klerk’s balcony, pulled Mboniswa up behind him, and entered the flat through a sliding door.
When De Klerk appeared suddenly, Thebus stabbed her, sat on her when she fell and commanded Mboniswa to hold her kicking legs, Rossouw said.
Thebus dismissed Rossouw’s statements with
”untrue”, ”I deny that”, and on one occasion ”Very untrue”.
He also denied telling Mboniswa afterwards that the plan had been a failure because they did not get any money.
Earlier this week Thebus told the court he met De Klerk at a wedding about two years ago, and that they danced and dined at her Dolphin Beach home on Monday nights.
He told the court he was detained and questioned by the police as a result of a confession made to magistrate Hennie le Roux by Mboniswa.
Thebus said police took samples from him for forensic analysis, and subjected him to a lie-detector test before releasing him.
At Mboniswa’s bail earlier hearing in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, the investigating officer, Superintendent Mike Barkhuizen, said he was satisfied that Thebus was not involved in the slaying.
Mboniswa has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, rape and robbery. – Sapa