Ntuthuko Shoba the ‘Mastermind’ behind Tshegofatso Pule’s murder finally on trial

Emotions ran high in the High Court in Johannesburg on Monday, when the long-awaited trial of Ntuthuko Shoba, the alleged mastermind behind Tshegofatso Pule’s gruesome 2020 murder, finally started.

The courtroom was packed to the rafters with friends and family members of the slain mother-to-be, many of whom in shirts emblazoned with the words “RIP Patrick Shai” in honour of the late actor whom Pule’s uncle, Tumisang Katake, said was a family friend and had been supporting them in their quest for justice for her.

Even before proceedings got underway, one woman in the gallery broke down and wept uncontrollably. Another yelled out that Shoba was “a murderer”. Twenty-eight-year-old Pule was found dead in Durban Deep in June 2020. The aspirant beautician had been shot in the chest and hanged from a tree. She was eight months pregnant at the time.

Last year, Muzikayise Malephane confessed to having killed Pule but said he was a hired hand and that Shoba, believed to have been the father of her unborn baby, had offered him R70 000 to kill her. In his plea, Malephane said
Shoba was married and didn’t want his wife to find out about his relationship with Pule. He said the plan was to make it look as though she had committed suicide.

In addition to murder, Malephane also pleaded guilty to defeating the administration of justice as well as illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was sentenced to 20 years behind bars, in accordance with
a deal he struck with the state which is now expected to see him testify against Shoba, who on Monday pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder and defeating the administration of justice which he now faces.

The first witness called by the state on Monday, however, was Pule’s friend, Tshepiso Tsita. On the stand, the 25-year-old public administration graduate, who came to court in dark glasses, a face mask and a widebrimmed hat, told the court she and Pule had known one another for about 16 years and were in fact “more like sisters”.

Asked by state advocate Faghre Mohamed about the relationship between Pule and Shoba, Tsita said: “According to what I saw, they were dating … He would come pick her up, request Ubers for her. They had a relationship from my point of view.”

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Asked if she was aware of Pule and Malephane ever having had any sort of relationship, though, she responded in
the negative. In his plea, Malephane last year said the original plan was to pick Pule up from a McDonald’s in May
but that she never pitched up.

And on Monday, Tsita appeared to corroborate this – telling the court her friend had been contacted by a someone
purporting to be a recruitment agent who had invited her for an interview at a McDonald’s during the same period but that she had felt uncomfortable about it and ended up not going.

Tsita further told the court that during this period Pule had also received threatening messages from a woman.

“Threats that Tshegofatso must leave her man or she would come to her workplace and deal with her.”

The last time Tsita saw Pule, she told the court, was the day she disappeared. She had come to her house that morning and had taken a call from Shoba, but Tsita didn’t know what was discussed.

She told the court Shoba did not attend Pule’s funeral, nor did he come to see the family after she was found. His legal team, however, insisted he had been threatened by her family.

Pule’s uncle said on Monday he was happy the trial had finally got underway. “For almost two years we’ve been waiting for the start of the trial so we could get closure … It’s the beginning of the end.”

– bernadettew@citizen.co.za