Tshegofatso Pule’s uncle, 73, struggles to ‘lessen pain’ as court delays sentencing

“There is no kind of sentence that will ever bring my niece back. She is gone, just like that.”

These sad words were spoken by Tshegofatso Pule’s maternal uncle, Motlogelwa Chai, 73, who is visibly broken since the loss of his favourite niece.

Chai is part of Pule’s family from Mokgola village, outside Zeerust in the North West, where her mother was born. She only visited her mother’s birthplace during the festive season as she grew up in Meadowlands, Soweto.

Chai failed to hide his tears whenever he spoke about Pule and tried to look at the roof. He was glued to his television yesterday hoping to see justice being served for his niece who was brutally murdered in 2020.

Chai explained how his sister, Pule’s mother, invested so much energy in raising her kids hoping that they would have a much better life than her own life, but Pule’s life had been cut short.

Her mother died some years before her. Before her sudden death, Pule had been living with her sister and other family members.

Ntuthuko Shoba was found guilty of murdering his pregnant girlfriend and on Tuesday his sentencing was postponed to 28 July.

ALSO READ: Ntuthuko Shoba found guilty of Tshegofatso Pule’s murder

“The ball is in the judiciary’s court, as a family we are only waiting for their decision but Witness Tiva had only this to say: “Social workers conducted assessments and found that the client does not require a normal wheelchair, but an electric one.

“Social workers then made recommendations that the client be seen by a physiotherapist to determine the kind of wheelchair needed and this was done.

“It is important to note that the kind of wheelchairs we previously received from a donor are not suitable for his condition.

“Although the provision of wheelchairs is not necessarily the responsibility of the department, we only distribute whenever we receive a donation from a good Samaritan.

“We therefore call on donors to come on board and assist the client to get an electric wheelchair,“ he said. there is no punishment that will ever bring back Tshego.

“Tshego is gone and I will never see her again,” Motlogelwa said.

He still vividly remembered the day he received a call to inform him about the shocking murder.

“My wife gave me a phone telling me that a family member from Soweto was demanding to talk to me.

“I wondered what the matter could be because we don’t just talk, I sensed that something was wrong. They told me our child had been brutally murdered and I could not believe it until I went to bury her and saw her coffin.”

ALSO READ: Shoba’s sentencing for Tshegofatso Pule’s murder postponed to July

Another of Pule’s uncles, Tumisang Katake, said these delays stopped the family from getting closure and moving on. “We cannot do that when this case has not been finalised.”

He hailed the SA Police Service officials who handled the case, saying: “If this case had been handled by an amateur it would not have succeeded before the court.

“We are so fortunate the case was handled by a well-equipped official who was able to track it down until it got where we are, where justice will be served.

“A life sentence may not bring back my niece, but it will lessen the pain of our family to know that the offender has been punished.”