Acting High Court Judge Stuart Wilson is expected to sentence convicted murderer Ntuthuko Shoba on Friday.
Wilson spent Thursday at the High Court in Johannesburg listening to pre-sentencing arguments from both the defence and state on what would be the ideal sentence for Shoba.
Shoba was convicted of murdering his eight-months pregnant girlfriend Tshegofatso Pule in June 2020.
Shoba hired convicted murderer Muzikayise Malepane to carry out the murder.
Defence lawyer Norman Makhubele asked the High Court not to Shoba a life sentence nor be handed a sentence that could be considered cruel or inhumane.
He leaned on the 20-year sentence that was handed down on hired hitman Malepane, saying Shoba should receive a similar sentence as opposed to life imprisonment.
However, the state says there are no exceptional circumstances that warrant the court to detract from prescribing the maximum sentence.
State prosecutor Fagre Mohammed underlined that Pule was pregnant and respected Shoba.
However, he exploited her vulnerability and broke that trust by hiring someone to kill her.
In the video below, Reporter Hasina Gori unpacks Thursday’s court proceedings:
