Nkululeko Ntozoko Shoba made his first court appearance where his murder charge for the gruesome killing of his former girlfriend Tshegofatso Pule was registered.
Nkululeko Shoba makes first court appearance
The Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court was packed on Monday, where Shoba stood on the dock to learn of the case put against him. The State has built a solid case against the accused, and there is enough reason to believe that he was behind the vicious murder of his then-girlfriend.
Pule’s mutilated body was found hanging on a tree at the Durban Deep gold mine veld in Roodepoort, Johannesburg, in June 2020, three days after she was reported missing.
The man who killed the pregnant 28-year-old Muzikayise Malephane recently pleaded no-contest in the trial and accepted the 20-year sentence that was handed down on him last week.
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However, this is not the end of the justice being pursued for Pule. The State believes Shoba was very much central to the murder. In fact, there is evidence that suggests that the boyfriend — the last person to see Pule alive — masterminded the premeditated killing.
The evidence the State has against Shoba
The State’s key witness, convicted murderer Malephane, has gifted prosecutors with intimate details on how the death of Pule was allegedly plotted by Shoba.
According to the NPA, Malephane identified the boyfriend as the contractor who offered him R70 000 to carry out the murder.
“He further explained that Shoba had wanted Pule dead as she was pregnant with his child and he did not want his wife to find out about the pregnancy,” the NPA noted in a statement.
Malephane’s statement also suggests that the death of Pule was a second attempt that didn’t go according to plan. It’s believed that Pule was supposed to be lured out to the Maraisburg bridge where she would have been hung and her phone used to write a suicide message on her WhatsApp status.
“Malephane detailed that the 1st attempt on Pule’s life failed after she never pitched up for a job interview at a restaurant next to Gold Reef City, where Shoba had arranged him (Malephane) to pick her up,” the NPA revealed.
All of this evidence and more statements from Malephane were submitted in court, on Monday. Proceedings were postponed to 1 March 2021, where Shoba will return for his pre-trial hearing.
