Ntuthuko Shoba, the alleged mastermind behind the death of Tshegofatso Pule, took the stand at the Johannesburg High Court and recounted the final moments with his deceased girlfriend. Tshegofatso was found with a gunshot wound and left hanging from a tree. She was pregnant at the time and Shoba was one of the last people to see her alive on the 4th of June 2020.
The alleged mastermind applied for bail and attempted to have the case discharged from the court, but failed. The trial has now begun, and Shoba is being cross-examined on the last moments he had with his girlfriend.
Shoba recollects that on the 4th of June 2020 he was with Tshegofatso at his house in Roodepoort and they were “chilling” until a call came in. She then told him that her transport was waiting outside. This came as a surprise to him, because Shoba says he usually arranged an Uber or took her home himself. He did not expect to see a Jeep.
The suspect describes how he could not see the driver inside the car, because the driver was wearing a cap and a mask. Muzikayise Malephane, the confessed killer of Tshegofatso, had given a statement earlier saying that he drove a Jeep and that he killed Tshegofatso because Shoba instructed him to do so. Malephane said Ntuthuko approached him and offered to pay R70 000 for the murder of Pule.
Shoba claims that he and his wife had no knowledge about the pregnancy until three days after Tshegofatso was murdered. Shoba faces two counts of defeating the ends of justice, murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.
Source: News24, Times Live, Image from News24
