The murder trial against Ntuthuko Shoba, the alleged mastermind behind Tshegofatso Pule’s savage killing, is expected to get under on Monday morning, 4 October 2021, in the High Court in Johannesburg.
This is nearly two weeks after the same court denied Shoba his third bail attempt. Judge Nomonde Mngqibisa-Thusi found that Shoba failed to prove there were extraordinary circumstances that warranted him being granted bail ahead of the trial.
Pule was murdered in June 2020. The heavily-pregnant woman’s body was discovered hanging from a tree in Roodepoort. Muzikayise Malephane, a 31-year-old man pleaded guilty to her killing and subsequently entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State.
It is believed that she was shot first and then hanged.
How Ntuthuko Shoba was implicated
The convicted killer revealed that Ntuthuko Shoba had offered him as much as R70 000 to murder Tshegofatso Pule. It is believed that Shoba had wanted to hide her pregnancy from his wife.
News of Pule’s senseless killing sent shockwaves across the country (including anti-gender-based violence organisations) and once again placed focus on the alarming femicide rates.
When the case was first heard in court, the state presented Whatsapp messages between Shoba and Pule, which showed he had wanted her to get rid of her baby.
“The WhatsApp messages are proof that the applicant has been absent most of the time, hiding behind work and at times his (other) girlfriend. In actual fact, from the deceased’s WhatsApp messages, it is clear that she sent the applicant a message saying that she did not want to have another abortion,” State prosecutor Paseka Temeki told the court.
Shoba is currently being held at Johannesburg Prison, much to his dismay. This is because he had initially asked the court to stay at Krugersdorp Prison, where he was taken after his arrest. Shoba had claimed that Malephane, who is serving his sentence at Johannesburg Prison, sent him death threats and feared for his life.
from The South African https://ift.tt/3l6rFAd
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