Publications
- Details of the murder of Tshegofatso Pule were revealed in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
- The State called its key witness, Muzikayise Malephane, who alleged that Shoba contracted him to kill Pule.
- Pule was found hanging from a tree in June 2020.
The man convicted of killing Tshegofatso Pule told the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg that alleged mastermind, Ntuthuko Shoba, wanted her to be hanged from Maraisburg Bridge."[Shoba] wanted Pule to be hanged from the bridge in Maraisburg.
"He was first going to take her phone and write a suicidal message that he would upload on her status," Muzikayise Malephane testified in Shoba's trial on Tuesday.
Shoba is accused of plotting Pule's murder and has been charged with one count of murder, alternatively conspiracy to commit murder, as well as defeating the ends of justice. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday.
Malephane was convicted of Pule's murder in February 2021 when he pleaded guilty and implicated Shoba as the alleged mastermind who instructed him to do it.
READ | Court hears of alleged ploy to lure Tshegofatso Pule to location under guise of a job offer
Malephane began his testimony on Tuesday by describing how Shoba allegedly contracted him to kill Pule.
He said he received a call from Shoba in 2020. He knew Shoba from school. They used to "jive and drink together", the court heard.
"I do not know how he got my number then he told me there is a task he wanted me to perform for him, he asked us to meet and I sent him the location of where I was staying," Malephane said.
Shoba arrived the same day, the court heard. However, Malephane wasn't sure of the exact date.
He said:
He first offered me R7 000. He raised it to 20 000. I told him the money was too small. [Then] he raised it to R 70 000 and we came to an agreement," the witness alleged.
Her aunt broke down in the gallery after the court adjourned for lunch in the middle of the testimony.
The trial continues.
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