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- The alleged mastermind behind Tshegofatso Pule's murder is currently on the stand.
- Ntuthuko Shoba will be cross-examined on Wednesday.
- Pule was murdered on 4 June 2020.
The alleged mastermind behind the murder of Tshegofatso Pule told the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday that he did not attend her funeral because he received warnings and threats.
"I was threatened [and] warned not to come to the funeral, some of my friends said that it would not be a good idea for me to go. On social media, there was a narrative stating that I was involved," Ntuthuko Shoba told the court.
Shoba, the man accused of plotting Pule's murder, testified why he was a no-show at Pule's funeral.
Pule was murdered on 4 June 2020. A heavily pregnant Pule was picked up in a Jeep from Shoba's residence on that day.
The court heard that she was shot in Noordgesig and later left hanging from a tree in Roodepoort.
Her convicted killer, Muzikayise Malephane implicated Shoba, alleging that he hired him to kill Pule because he did not want his fiancée to find out about the pregnancy.
READ | Tshegofatso Pule case: Alleged murder mastermind loses bid for discharge, trial continues
Shoba, in his evidence in chief, further alleged that he received a threat from Pule's brother.
He said he could not remember her brother's name except that it started with a "K".
"... It [the alleged threat] was just like a 'you killed my sister', something along this (sic) lines. I got a call from her aunt stating that 'you have gotten what you wanted'," he testified.
The defence subsequently closed its evidence-in-chief.
The State's cross-examination of Shoba was expected to begin on Tuesday, however, Shoba told the court he was fatigued.
He is currently in custody.
His lawyer, advocate Norman Makhubela, requested that the cross-examination begin on Wednesday.
The State was prepared to proceed with the cross-examination, however, the request to adjourn was granted.
The trial continues on Wednesday.
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