THE court was packed yesterday when Itumeleng Makhalemele-Maseko made her first brief appearance for allegedly murdering her husband.
The 26-year-old lawyer was in Court B of the Witbank Magistrates Court in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga.
She is accused of stabbing her husband, Caswell Maseko (30) to death after an argument in the early hours of Saturday morning.
She was not asked to plead.
Itumeleng apparently fled the scene after the incident, and went to Tshwane where she allegedly considered suicide before being rescued by friends. She handed herself in to the police on Monday.
The young couple was known in Emalahleni for their lavish lifestyle, beautiful cars and big house.
Before Itumeleng appeared, a group of men arrived at court wearing T-shirts with “Team No Bail” printed on them.
Mash Mashego, a friend of the victim, said they didn’t want the accused to be granted bail.
He said if she was sorry for what she had allegedly done, she would have handed herself over to the police immediately after realising her husband was dead.
Mash said he and Maseko’s other friends would get legal advice to make sure justice was done.
The victim’s younger brother, Thabang (18) said he was left stranded as his brother had been taking care of him financially since their parents died.
He said he was still in shock over the incident and would never have thought anything like this could happen to his brother.
“My brother was a kind person and what I liked most about him was that he had a giving heart. He was involved in helping the community and now that he’s gone a lot of people will miss him,” he said.
The case was postponed to Thursday for a formal bail application.