Tshegofatso Pule Roodepoort murder 2

Photo: Twitter

Tshegofatso Pule: Man allegedly responsible for her death denied bail

The alleged mastermind behind the brutal killing of Tshegofatso Pule was denied bail on Friday 5 March 2021. He will remain behind bars.

Tshegofatso Pule Roodepoort murder 2

Photo: Twitter

The alleged mastermind behind the ferocious and brutal murder of 28-year-old Tshegofatso Pule was denied bail in the Roodeport Magistrate’s Court on Friday 5 March 2021. 

Tshegofatso Pule was found stabbed and hanging from a tree in Roodeport in June last year and she was eight months pregnant at the time of her death. The incident sparked an outcry from the community and pushed government to prioritise the issue of gender-based violence (GBV).

TSHEGOFATSO PULE MURDER ACCUSED DENIED BAIL 

On Friday 19 February 2021, two weeks ago, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said Muzikayise Malephane pleaded guilty to the murder of Tshegofatso Pule and thereafter entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State. This agreement then implicated Tshegofato Pule’s boyfriend Nthutuko Shoba and led to his arrest. 

According to SABC News, Magistrate Delize Smith on Friday said that Shoba did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that his release on bail would be in the interest of justice. He was therefore denied bail and is charged with a schedule six offence of premeditated murder. The matter, according to eNCA, has been postponed to 25 March. 

The South African reached out to the NPA spokesperson in Gauteng for further comment, however, there was no response at the time of publication.  

MALEPHANE CLAIMS SHOBA CONTRACTED HIM TO COMMIT THE MURDER 

Malephane, last month, pointed out that the boyfriend of the deceased allegedly contracted him to commit the murder. The court then confirmed the plea agreement on the condition that he testifies in the state’s case against Shoba. 

“The boyfriend has been arrested and is currently in police custody,” the NPA told the media last month.

Reports indicate that the boyfriend didn’t want his wife to find out that Tshegofatso Pule was pregnant and so paid him R70 000. It is also said she was shot first and later hung. 

EFF TO MONITOR TSHEGOFATSO PULE MURDER CASE 

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), in a statement, said it would continue to monitor the case after a second arrest had been made.

“This demonstrates that the murderer was not alone and in fact conspired with someone very intimate to the deceased, Tshegofatso Pule,” it said.

“The Pule family deserves to know the full truth of the brutal murder of their daughter. Tshegofatso was murdered, whilst she was eight months pregnant and hanging on a tree; some display by what seems like the work of a psychopathological killer,” it added.