Tshegofatso Pule: Pre-trial hearing of Mzikayise Malephane postponed
Malephane was expected back in court on 9 December.
Muzikayise Malephane at Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg, 23 July 2020, for the murder of Tshegofatso Pule. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
The pre-trial hearing of Mzikayise Malephane, accused of killing Tshegofatso Pule, was postponed on Thursday.
The matter was adjourned to allow Malephane’s lawyer to make further representations to the State.
Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng gave Malephane an opportunity to submit supplementary representations on what the State had responded to in his initial representations.
Malephane appeared jubilant when he entered courtroom 2A in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
Dressed in a pair of baggy basketball shorts, cycling shorts underneath and a white t-shirt, Malephane hopped his way from the holding cells to the dock.
He then waved at people in the packed gallery before and after his appearance.
Outside the courtroom, Pule’s uncle Tumisang Katake told the media the family was patient and would allow all legal processes to unfold.
“They can do [a] hundred postponements, they can do all they want to play delaying tactics, but at the end of the day, the day shall come. The fact that they want to supplement their representations regarding what the NPA has replied to them, doesn’t surprise me.
“These things do happen, ultimately the day shall come. Regarding his demeanour in court, I think after consultation with his lawyer, he gained more confidence. Over time, people become content and gain confidence in certain things. I would love to know why he is confident,” said Katake.
Malephane, 31, face a charge of premeditated murder after he allegedly stabbed Pule, 28, to death.
Pule was eight months pregnant when she was killed.
She was last seen leaving her Meadowlands, Soweto, home on 4 June, to visit her boyfriend Ntuthuko Shoba in Florida.
Her body was later found hanging from a tree in Durban Deep, Roodepoort, on June 5, with a stab wound to her chest.
Pule’s body was positively identified on 8 June, at a government mortuary by her relatives.
Malephane was expected back in court on 9 December.
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