Tshegofatso Pule’s family says there is no sentence that can replace her. The Johannesburg High Court on Friday found Nthuthuko Shoba guilty of masterminding the death of pregnant Tshegofatso Pule in 2020.
He was implicated after convicted hitman, Mzikayise Malepane turned state witness. The eight-month pregnant Pule was hung from a tree in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, in 2020.
In handing down his verdict, Acting Judge Stuart Wilson said phone calls Shoba made to Malepane was for no other reason than to arrange Pule’s killing.
Malapane turned state witness in the trial. It was his word against Shoba’s, but Acting Judge Stuart Wilson relied on corroborative evidence to draw his final conclusion and reach a verdict.
“On evaluating the material evidence, in the first place, Mr Shoba’s explanation for the dealings with Mr Malepane may safely be rejected as false. It is denied by two witnesses whose credibility and reliability were never challenged, and by Mr Malepane himself. I do not accept Mr Shoba’s visits and telephone calls to Mr Malepane were about the purchase of cigarettes. There is no evidence before that they were about anything other than arranging Ms Pule’s death.”
Wilson then delivered his verdict.
“Mr Shoba please stand up. For all these reasons, I have reached the following verdicts- on count one of the indictment; I find the accused guilty of the premeditated murder of Tshegofatso Pule. 2. On count two, I find the accused not guilty of obstructing justice.”
The judgment in Tshegofatso Pule’s case:
Bittersweet moment
Emotions ran high for both families. Shoba’s family was left devastated by the judgment. He did not turn to face the public gallery after his conviction – instead, he quickly made his way down the stairs to the holding cells.
However, it was tears and celebration for the Pule family. It is almost two years since the brutal murder of their niece and daughter.
Family Spokesperson Tumisang Katake says it is a bittersweet moment for them as the nothing can bring Tshegofatso back to life.
“We knew and we suspected that he is behind this. Today the court proved our suspicions right. We can debate as to what form of sentence he’s going to get and whether it will serve as a satisfaction to us, fact is Tshego is no more. He can have a double life but his family will still get a chance to talk to him. We don’t have that chance with Tshegofatso. Everyone could not hold back tears, and it’s tears of relief.”
Bothlale Modisane from the Tshegofatso Pule Foundation says this is the victory they have been waiting for, and they can finally start grieving.
“It’s a huge victory for us and it has set the precedence for all the other cases that we are busy with. Ours is to make sure that her name lives on and the tree she was killed on bears fruits. We can finally face our true emotions and not have to hide behind the facade of us being strong. Today we can finally cry. We can begin to grieve. It’s been a long two years.”
The National Prosecuting Authority has called for life imprisonment. Sentencing arguments are set for 10 May.
