Sentencing proceedings in the Johannesburg High Court against convicted murderer Ntuthuko Shoba are set to begin on Thursday morning.
Shoba was found guilty in March this year of masterminding the killing of his then eight-month pregnant girlfriend Tshegofatso Pule in 2020.
In May, the state and defence were expected to begin arguments in the sentencing proceedings. However, acting judge Stuart Wilson postponed the proceedings after a request from Shoba’s legal team over an incomplete pre-sentencing report.
At the time, judge Wilson said all the pre-sentencing reports should be ready by 28 July. He said he would need a “fairly detailed explanation” if a further postponement is requested.
“Postponements of this nature in matters like this are not ideal, especially given what’s at stake for Mr Shoba and the other interested parties.
“So, I will expect the matter to proceed with the necessary documents on 28 July 2022,” Wilson said.
Shoba, a former JSE analyst, was found guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder on 25 March 2022.
Judge Wilson found that the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Shoba hired self-confessed gunman Muzikayise Malephane to kill Pule.
Pule was eight months pregnant with Shoba’s child. She was found stabbed and hanged from a tree in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, on 4 June 2020.
Malephane is currently serving 20 years in prison after being sentenced in February 2021.
During the murder trial, Malephane told the court Shoba hired him to kill Pule because he did not want the woman he regarded as his wife to find out about Pule’s pregnancy.
Pule’s family and gender activists have called for the court to impose a life sentence against Shoba.
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