Tshegofatso Pule's killer Ntuthuko Shoba in the dock at the Johannesburg High Court, 28 July 2022. Picture Neil McCartney
Ntuthuko Shoba was on Friday sentenced to life behind bars by the Johannesburg High Court, for the murder of his eight-month pregnant girlfriend Tshegofatso Pule.
In March, Shoba was found guilty of premeditated murder for masterminding the killing of Pule.
Acting judge Stuart Wilson said there were no compelling reasons to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence for murder.
Pule’s murder sent shockwaves across the country after she was found shot and hanged from a tree in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, on 4 June 2020.
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While reading his judgment, judge Wilson said: “It is clear to me that Mr Shoba wanted to get rid of Miss Pule. She and the baby were an inconvenience to him.”
Last year, Muzikayise Malephane pleaded guilty to killing Pule, but said he had acted under orders from Shoba.
Malephane said Shoba had offered him R70,000 to kill Pule because he didn’t want his fiancée to find out about the pregnancy.
Judge Wilson on Friday said, for this reason, Pule’s murder was a “killing of the worst kind”.
“It is clear that Mr Shoba was the prime mover in bringing about Miss Pules death.
“It has gone unchallenged that Mr Malephane had no relationship with Miss Pule. This was a killing of a worst kind, said Wilson.
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Judge Wilson added that Pule was vulnerable due to her reliance on Shoba.
“Miss Pule was also a vulnerable woman looking for care. Her vulnerability was not just emotional, it was also material. Her reliance on Mr Shoba deepened as her pregnancy progressed.
“That Miss Pule was pregnant at the time of her death is aggravating.
“It is clear that Mr Shoba was the prime mover in bringing about Miss Pules death,” Wilson added.
Additional reporting by Thapelo Lekabe
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