He told the court that Pule had expressed concern on the way from Shoba's house after Malephane headed in the direction of Noordgesig instead of Meadowlands, where she was supposed to be dropped off.
“She asked why am I not taking her home and I told her that there is something that I had to drop off,” Malephane said.
After shooting her dead, he said he “picked her up and put her back in the car at the back seat”.
Pule, who was eight months pregnant, was found hanging from a tree four days after her disappearance.
Shoba's defence counsel Adv Norman Makhubela questioned why Malephane had decided to shoot Pule instead of hanging her as he allegedly agreed that her death had to look like suicide.
He further probed how Malephane thought a gunshot wound would be consistent with suicide.
Malephane, who is serving 20 years behind bars after pleading guilty, said he had been confused and wanted to “get the job done and over with”.
“It was just a mess,” he said.
Malephane’s credibility, however, was called into question after he admitted to lying in the first police statement in which he had said Shoba had been with him while hanging Pule.
Makhubela accused Malephane of trying to cover up lies with more lies in his second statement because he had seen that his “fiction” would be exposed after additional evidence had been uncovered, disproving his claims about Pule’s death.
These included Malephane’s previous claim that Shoba had stabbed Pule before she was hanged, while the postmortem revealed that she had been shot.
“You decided to take the deal and plead guilty and admit to the offence after your lawyers had shown you what was in the docket and you had no chance to escape.
“You allege that the accused stabbed the victim but the postmortem exposed you, that the wound was a gunshot wound, “Makhubela said.
Makhubela also disputed that Shoba had told Malephane that he had asked Pule to terminate the pregnancy, arguing that evidence of their text communication before court showed that he was supportive and had never made the request.
“It is a figment of your imagination, which is consistent with your own admitted propensity towards falsity,” Makhubela said.
The trial continues.
Convicted murderer Malephane details how he killed Pule
After shooting her dead, he said he “picked her up and put her back in the car at the back seat”
Image: Antonio Muchave
“I parked the car on the side and I had a firearm in my hand. I opened the door on Pule's side, grabbed her by her hand and said she must get out of the car, and I shot her.”
These are details the convicted murderer of Tshegofatso Pule revealed when his cross-examination continued in the high court in Johannesburg.
Muzikayise Malephane is the key state witness in the murder trial of Ntuthuko Shoba, who is accused of orchestrating the hit.
Shoba is charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and defeating the ends of justice.
He has pleaded not guilty.
On the night of the abduction, on June 4 2020, the court heard that Shoba had asked Malephane to fetch Pule from his Florida complex under the pretence that it was an Uber requested by him to take her home.
The soft-spoken Malephane, wearing an orange T-shirt and yellow track pants, kept his head down and fiddled with his hands as he was repeatedly asked to raise his voice while giving testimony.
Shoba wanted Tshegofatso Pule’s murder to look like suicide: killer
He told the court that Pule had expressed concern on the way from Shoba's house after Malephane headed in the direction of Noordgesig instead of Meadowlands, where she was supposed to be dropped off.
“She asked why am I not taking her home and I told her that there is something that I had to drop off,” Malephane said.
After shooting her dead, he said he “picked her up and put her back in the car at the back seat”.
Pule, who was eight months pregnant, was found hanging from a tree four days after her disappearance.
Shoba's defence counsel Adv Norman Makhubela questioned why Malephane had decided to shoot Pule instead of hanging her as he allegedly agreed that her death had to look like suicide.
He further probed how Malephane thought a gunshot wound would be consistent with suicide.
Malephane, who is serving 20 years behind bars after pleading guilty, said he had been confused and wanted to “get the job done and over with”.
“It was just a mess,” he said.
Malephane’s credibility, however, was called into question after he admitted to lying in the first police statement in which he had said Shoba had been with him while hanging Pule.
Makhubela accused Malephane of trying to cover up lies with more lies in his second statement because he had seen that his “fiction” would be exposed after additional evidence had been uncovered, disproving his claims about Pule’s death.
These included Malephane’s previous claim that Shoba had stabbed Pule before she was hanged, while the postmortem revealed that she had been shot.
“You decided to take the deal and plead guilty and admit to the offence after your lawyers had shown you what was in the docket and you had no chance to escape.
“You allege that the accused stabbed the victim but the postmortem exposed you, that the wound was a gunshot wound, “Makhubela said.
Makhubela also disputed that Shoba had told Malephane that he had asked Pule to terminate the pregnancy, arguing that evidence of their text communication before court showed that he was supportive and had never made the request.
“It is a figment of your imagination, which is consistent with your own admitted propensity towards falsity,” Makhubela said.
The trial continues.
Court hears how Pule's lover hatched plan to kill her
Cousin tells court of last phone call with murdered Pule
Pregnant Tshegofatso Pule was threatened before her murder, court told
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