Seconds before she slipped into a coma from which she never awoke, a Bluff woman told her son the name of her killer, a KwaZulu-Natal judge heard on Monday.

Former wrestling and show promoter Shane Jaipal has pleaded not guilty to murdering his former lover, Argentina Loutsaris, by forcing her car off the road, dousing her with petrol and setting her alight on October 21 1997.

Shane says he was in Umtata on that day.

Argentina's son, Victor Loutsaris, told Mr Justice Hillary Squires, sitting in Pinetown, that when he was called to the scene of the murder, Argentina was lying on the grass verge. She told him she had been followed from a supermarket, forced off the road and then set alight.

When he pushed her for a name, she said: "Shane Jaipal, who else?"

Victor said his mother, a widow, had met Shane at court. He had helped her with the liquidation of her business and they became friends.

When Shane's defence counsel, Chris Snyman, put it to him that the two had become lovers within two weeks, Victor said he could not dispute this.

He earlier said he did not know whether the two were romantically involved.

Victor said the relationship soured after his mother found out that Shane was married, and that she told Shane she never wanted to see him again.

Snyman said papers would show that Shane had been divorced then.

Victor said Shane harassed his mother so much that he eventually obtained a court order against him.

Victor denied that Shane "sorted out" problems he had had in the block of flats in which he lived.

The hearing continues.

With acknowledgements to Sue Blaine and Independent Online.