Shoba found guilty of killing Tshegofatso Pule

Shoba was on trial for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend Tshegofatso Pule in June 2020. 

Handing down judgment on Friday morning, Judge Stuart Wilson said the evidence all pointed to to Shoba being the mastermind behind the gruesome murder carried out by now state-witness Muzikayise Malephane.

“The facts that have been proved all points in one direction that Mr Shoba arranged for Mr Malephane to kill Miss Pule and that he first attempted to do so by having Mr Malephane meet Miss Pule at the Ormonde McDonald's outlet.

“And that when that plan failed, he knowingly and intentionally delivered Miss Pule into Mr Malephane hands on the night of the fourth of June 2020.”

 Shoba has been found guilty of premeditated murder.

ALSO READ: Operation Dudula leader Nhlanhla ‘Lux’ Dlamini set to appear in court

“I’ve reached the following verdict. On count one of the indictments, I find you guilty of the premeditated murder of Tshegofasto Pule. On count two I find you not guilty of obstructing justice.”

Wilson said if he had to reject the state's case, it would have meant Malephane had lied about everything.

“I would have to find that Mr Malephane had lied about virtually everything he'd said, but had nonetheless been for fortuitously, assisted in his lies by four extraordinary pieces of luck. 

“These are the fact that the phone Mr Malephane says Mr Shoba used to contact him to arrange the murder turned up in the same area at about the same time as Mr Shoba has registered phone are no less than seven occasions in the two weeks before Miss Pula was killed.”

“I would also have to accept that Mr Malephane was prepared to commit a gruesome murder for no detectable motive. And to concoct a story that implicated Mr Shoba.”

Wilson says there were simply no facts before him that would support any of these conclusions.

Shoba will remain behind bars until the start of sentencing proceedings on May 10.