Ntuthuko Shoba didn’t attend Tshegofatso Pule’s funeral due to threats, courts hears

Nthuthuko Shoba has told the High Court in Johannesburg of threats he apparently received in the wake of Tshegofatso Pule’s murder, saying that was why he had decided not to attend the mother of his unborn baby’s funeral.

The alleged mastermind behind 28-year-old Pule’s death, Shoba, 32, is on trial for murder, conspiracy to commit murder and defeating the ends of justice.

He took the stand in his own defence this week.

Pule was found shot in the chest and hanging from a tree in Durban Deep in June 2020. She was eight months pregnant at the time of her death.

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Last year, Muzikayise Malephane pleaded guilty to having killed Pule, but said in his plea explanation that he had acted under orders from Shoba who, he claimed, had offered him R70,000 to eliminate Pule because he didn’t want his fiancee to find out about the pregnancy.

On Monday afternoon, when he first began testifying, Shoba told the court he had kept Pule’s pregnancy hidden from his fiancée because she had recently lost her mother.

But he indicated he was excited to become a father and that he and Pule had already discussed names for the baby.

He continued his testimony yesterday, in the main cutting a quietly confident figure on the stand.

His voice became softer and he turned his gaze to the floor, though, when he was asked about his decision not to pay his last respects at Pule’s funeral.

“After learning of the passing on of Ms Pule, it’s a matter of record and common cause you didn’t attend her funeral,” Shoba’s counsel, advocate Norman Makhubela, put to him.

“Correct,” came his response. “Are you able to provide reasons as to why you did not attend?” Makhubela continued.

Shoba said he had been “threatened” and had received a text message from Pule’s brother, whose name he could not recall.

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“I don’t remember the exact content but it was along the lines of ‘you killed my sister’,” he said.

He also said he had received a phone call from an aunt of Pule’s identified only as Grace.

“I got a call from her aunt stating that ‘you’ve got what you wanted’,” he said – adding he understood her to have implied he had wanted Pule dead.

Last month, Malephane testified that on the night of Pule’s murder he and Shoba had concocted a plan for Malephane to pick up Pule from Shoba’s house under the pretence he was an Uber driver who would take her home.

Earlier in yesterday’s proceedings Shoba insisted he had had no idea who was picking Pule up on the night in question and – somewhat surprisingly – hadn’t asked.

The case continues today, with Shoba expected to be cross-examined. Shoba has pleaded not guilty.

Tshegofatso Pule’s killer tells court he was ‘greedy’