An extramarital affair lies at the centre of the murder trial of property mogul Jason Rohde, accused of strangling his wife Susan to death at the Spier Hotel near Stellenbosch in 2016. According to Eyewitness News, Rohde testified in court on Monday about an affair he began with a co-worker in 2015.
Rohde reportedly claims that his wife committed suicide by hanging herself with a hair iron cord.
Rohde reportedly said Susan found out about the affair in February 2016 when she found a Valentine's Day card in his bed. Rohde reportedly said the affair resulted in constant arguing in their marriage, and said he ultimately ended the affair.
But when Susan discovered the affair was still ongoing, she was reportedly devastated. Rohde told her he wanted a divorce just hours before her death. The argument in their hotel room that day was reportedly sparked by Rohde trying to send an SMS to his mistress, which his wife discovered.
Rohde reportedly told the court that the affair pushed Susan over the edge, causing her to commit suicide.
However, the state alleges that Rohde strangled her, and this is reportedly backed up by a post-mortem report that shows manual strangulation and severe bruising around her neck, according to TimesLive. There is reportedly also evidence that Susan swallowed blood before her death caused by blunt force trauma on the right side of her chest.
Rohde reportedly described his affair as "selfish" and said he moved out of the house when Susan found out about it. Susan reportedly became "very emotional" and was often angry and sad, and at times obsessed with the affair.
"I was very deceitful. I would go to work‚ I would send a message and delete it from my phone. Or if I made a call I would delete it from my phone.
"When you're an adulterer you live a double life. You hide things‚ and you duck and you dive‚ and you just... You just hide. And you're just deceitful," he reportedly said on Monday.
Rohde reportedly told the court on Monday that if it wasn't for the affair, Susan would still be alive.
According to News24, he said, "My conduct has ripped my family apart. It has devastated my family and I know, if it wasn't for my disgusting behaviour, Susan would still be alive today."
But he denied ever physically assaulting Susan.
"We had our ups and downs like any marriage would have. We could get into some awful verbal altercations. We were both to blame. Never once did I physically attack, strike or strangle my wife ever," he reportedly said.