The Supreme Court of Appeal has once again dismissed Ntuthuko Shoba's application to appeal his conviction and sentence. Shoba was sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2022 for masterminding the murder of his then 8 month pregnant girlfriend Tshegofatso Pule. She was found hanging low from a tree in Durban Deep in June 2020.

APPEAL DENIED FOR THE SECOND TIME 

Shoba first appealed his sentence in November 2022 but his bid was denied by the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. During his appeal application last year, Shoba's lawyer, advocate Louis Barnard, argued that a different court might come to a different conclusion. "The matter is open to different interpretations. Another court might view that and come to a different conclusion. There was insufficient collaboration in Malephane's evidence. I scrutinised, confirmed, and found he was a liar and a manipulator," he argued. 

THE WORST

Sentencing Shoba in July, acting Judge Stuart Wilson said the offence was one of the worst he had come across. "A contract killing that exploited the dependency of a young woman and the death of an unborn baby,". Shoba attempted to kill Pule at least twice. "It's clear that Shoba was the prime mover in bringing her death. Pule's killer was hired by Shoba. Pule was vivacious but she was vulnerable. Her vulnerability was emotional and material. As her pregnancy progressed, she relied financially on Shoba. Shoba wanted to get rid of them because they were an inconvenience," said Wilson. He said Shoba did not deserve the leniency granted to his co-accused and contract killer Muzikayise Malephane who was promised R70 000 for Pule's life but ended up being paid only R20.