Johannesburg - The man who allegedly ordered the killing of Tshegofatso Pule and the father of her unborn child has been denied bail over fears he might interfere with witnesses.
This means Ntuthuko Shoba, 32, will remain in jail until the completion of the case, despite his recent pleas that he had to be granted bail as he feared for his life behind bars.
Shoba, a JSE analyst, appeared in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning and has been behind bars since his arrest two weeks ago.
His alleged involvement in the murder came to the fore when the man who killed Pule, Muzikayise Malephane, implicated him in the crime.
Malephane, who pleaded guilty to the murder and entered into a plea agreement with the state, said he killed Pule at the behest of Shoba, who did not want his wife to know he had impregnated Pule.
According to Malephane, Shoba first offered him R7 000 to kill her, but he declined it. The amount was increased to R20 000, but Malephane still rejected it as he felt it was too little. It was only after Shoba allegedly upped the offer to R70 000 that he agreed to kill Pule.
Malephane claims he then stabbed and hanged Pule. He was arrested while travelling from Mpumalanga in July last after a manhunt for Pule’s murder had been launched.
Shoba is expected back in court on March 25. Malephane, who got a 20 year sentence, will testify against Shoba when the matter goes to trial.
IOL