Former chief executive of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty and Johannesburg businessman Jason Rohde’s ex-lover Jolene Alterskye has apparently “apologised unreservedly” after lashing out last week at the national prosecuting authority (NPA) and investigators in Rohde’s murder trial.

Rohde was sentenced to an effective 20 years imprisonment last week for murdering his wife Susan and obstructing justice by manipulating the murder scene to make it look as if she’d hanged herself with the chord of hair curling tongs.

Susan had attended a Sotheby’s conference with Rohde at Spier wine estate outside Stellenbosh in July 2016.  She was found dead behind the bathroom door in the couple’s hotel room on a Sunday morning.

Rohde confirmed during the trial that in the months before Susan’s death he’d been involved in an extra-marital relationship with Alterskye, who was an estate agent in Sea Point.

Alterskye was not seen in court during the trial and also didn’t give any media interviews. But shortly after Rohde’s sentencing on 27 February, she commented on the outcome of the trial on the Facebook page of the police. 

She was reacting to a post in which Sergeants Marlon Appollis and Stephen Adams were praised for their hard work and achievement.

Alterskye slammed the investigating team on social media and made several defamatory claims against the police, state and judge in a cellphone message to The Cape Argus newspaper.

Her Facebook comments were deleted shortly afterwards and she also removed her Facebook profile.

Earlier this week NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila told Netwerk24 Alterskye’s statements were “broad, non-specific and slanderous in nature”.

“She made a statement to the police and consulted with the state and at no stage whatsoever at the time [did she claim] that a scheme, a conspiracy or a cover-up is under way against Mr Rohde,” he said.

Last night Ntabazalila confirmed the NPA had received a letter from Alterskye earlier in the day in which she apologised for her comments.