A 35-year-old mother of two appeared on charges of extortion in the Cape Town Regional Court after claiming she had an extramarital affair with former Western Cape Minister for Community Safety Lennit Max.
Belinda Petersen told a Cape Town tabloid newspaper early last year about the alleged affair.
At the time, Max had ambitions of leading the DA in the Western Cape.
He denied the allegations, and instituted a defamation lawsuit against the paper.
He, however, declined to institute a civil case against Petersen.
"She doesn't have money . I'm going to waste my money even if I get judgment against her," he said.
According to the charge sheet, Petersen, a former police clerk, told the tabloid that while she was working for the police, she was hauled before a disciplinary hearing but could not pay for legal representation.
Max agreed to act for her, but in return she allegedly had to have sex with him.
Petersen told the tabloid that she had sex several times with Max in 2007. Max denied this. Magistrate Michelle Adams postponed the case to July 21 and 22 for trial.
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