Convicted murderer Ntuthuko Shoba was sentenced to life imprisonment for the premeditated murder of his pregnant girlfriend Tshegofatso Pule, which he orchestrated with the help of an acquaintance.
In sentencing Shoba, judge Stewart Wilson said there was no justifiable factor which would make him deviate from giving Shoba the maximum prescribed sentence.
He said the fact that Muzikayise Malephane, the hired hitman received a 20-year sentence for the actal killing of Pule, this did not mean that Shoba was entitled to the same sentence.
“Mr Malephane confessed to his part in Miss Pule’s death. Despite initially and unwisely seeking to mislead the police, in the end he provided information and evidence which assisted the police in apprehending Mr Shoba and successfully prosecuting him.”
Wilson described Pule as a vivacious woman who was also vulnerable at the time of her murder as she was pregnant. He said Shoba exploited this and that “this formed a critical part of his plan to killer”.
“She was a vulnerable woman looking for care and as her pregnancy progressed, she relied more and more on Shoba, which led to him to seeing both Pule and the child as an inconvenience as she needed money for baby clothes, as well as assistance with travel arrangements, which made it easy for him to arrange for her kidnapping.
“Shoba was the prime mover in bringing about Pule’s death, having planned and commissioned it, subsequently bringing into the picture Muzikayise Malephane, who was sentenced to 20 years for Pule’s murder after entering into a plea deal with the State in exchange for testifying against the father of Pule’s unborn child.
“Miss Pule would not have been killed and Mr Shoba would have probably continued looking for help in killing her if Malephane had refused,” Ruled Wilson.
Source: News24, City Press, Sowetan Live, Sunday World, Times Live, image from Twitter