Court hears Shoba wanted Pule ‘hanged on a bridge'

Muzikayise Malepane, who pleaded guilty to shooting and killing Pule, started his testimony in the trial against Pule's alleged boyfriend Ntuthuko Shoba. 

Malepane turned state witness last year after he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. 

Dressed in an orange T-shirt , white tracksuit pants and cuffed in leg-irons, Malepane took to the witness stand after Pule's cousin Palesa Senokwane. 

He told the court he has known Shoba since 2008 and they used to party together.

Malepane said early in 2020, Shoba contacted him and asked for them to meet and when they eventually did, he informed he wanted Pule hanged at the Maraisburg bridge to conceal her pregnancy from his wife. 

The convicted murderer said Shoba informed him he would make it look like a suicide by taking Pule's phone and drafting a suicide note that he would post on her WhatsApp status. 

Malepane said the initial plan was that Pule would arrive to an interview at a MacDonald’s near Gold Reef City and he would pick her up and kill her.

The plan failed when Pule didn't arrive.

Some of his testimony corroborated that of Pule's friend who testified on Monday that she got an SMS from a person claiming to be from a recruitment company who invited her to an interview at a Macdonald’s in Ormonde. However, Pule didn't pitch because she was uncomfortable with the entire interview during lockdown. 

Hanging his head down after taking a deep breath, Malepane proceeded to tell the court that Shoba visited him at his girlfriend’s house on June 4 2020, the day Pule was killed and told him that was the day she had to die. 

Malepane's testimony will continue on Wednesday, with the state still leading his evidence as a crucial part of its case. 

The state pulled out tracker records showing a car registered in Shoba's name being in the same street as Malepane's girlfriend's house on the day in question.

Malepane said three of his friends where with him and confirmed they saw Shoba.