Ntuthuko Shoba denies knowing about Tshegofatso Pule's killing

Ntuthuko Shoba, the man alleged to be the mastermind behind his girlfriend Tshegofatso Pule’s murder in June 2020, spent some time in the Johannesburg high court on Wednesday explaining why he had not arranged transport for her on the night she was killed.

Shoba denied knowing who picked Pule up on June 4 2020, the night she was killed. 

He also denied knowing a cellphone number Pule's confessed murderer, Muzikayise Malephane, said he used to communicate with Shoba.  

Prosecutor Faghre Mohammed said the phone was in the same vicinity as Shoba's on a number of occasions, including when Shoba visited Malephane in Durban Deep during the afternoon of June 4.

Mohammed said Shoba's cellphone number and the disputed number were also on the same base station the day after Pule was killed. Shoba said he could not comment on the disputed phone.

Mohammed also asked Shoba if even though he had a car at his disposal and was the one who usually arranged for an Uber to pick up Pule, he found it unusual Pule had arranged her own transport that night.

“It was odd. After she arrived my [other] partner [Rosetta Moatshe] had called. [Pule] had been sulking the whole evening. Over and above that, it was not the first time she had arranged her own transport,” Shoba replied.

Mohammed asked Shoba whether he had asked Pule who had come to pick her up. Shoba said he did not.

Mohammed said Shoba knew the country was under lockdown and that no transport services were allowed to function at night because of the Covid-19 curfew.

Shoba said he did not make use of Uber services in the evenings during lockdown and did not have knowledge of the service’s cut-off times.

The state alleges Shoba hired Malephane to kill Pule.

Malephane, who was last year sentenced to 20 years in prison for Pule’s murder, testified in the Shoba trial last month. He detailed how he and Shoba had planned Pule’s murder.

Malephane testified that he headed to Shoba’s Florida home on the evening of June 4 after receiving a telephone call from Shoba.

He said he picked up Pule in his girlfriend’s silver-grey Jeep and the vehicle was going to be used as a decoy, as if an Uber had been requested.

After Shoba finished testifying, his former business partner, Zakhele Sithole, testified about the visit he, Shoba and another person made to Cashbuild in Soweto on June 5 2020.

He said the reason they visited the hardware store was to buy materials to renovate their car wash business in Dube.

Sithole said as they arrived at the hardware store they saw Malephane outside and exchanged greetings with him.

Sithole said Malephane said he could not go inside as he did not have a mask.

“[Malephane] was with another guy, who I later found out was assisting with fixing his house," he said.

Sithole said they left Malephane and then proceeded with Shoba to the shop.

When asked by defence advocate Norman Makhubela whether he saw Malephane and Shoba having a conversation during the exchange of greetings, Sithole said he had not.

When Malephane testified last month he said Shoba met him outside the shop on June 6 2020 and told him that he was still arranging money.

The defence is expected to call its last witness on Thursday afternoon.

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