Though it will not bring Tshegofatso Pule back to her family and friends, the life sentence handed down to Ntuthuko Shoba for arranging the murder of his girlfriend will be welcomed by a society reeling from high levels of violence against its women.
Even in a country with horrific murder statistics, this was one of the more egregious cases of gender-based violence. Pule was eight months pregnant with Shoba’s child when he arranged her murder.
In a crime that was particularly cruel and devious, she was shot by a hired acquaintance of Shoba’s, with an attempt being made to make the killing look like suicide. As the court found, Shoba had not shown remorse during the proceedings.
In addition, the judge found that Shoba had shown a high degree of planning and persistence, his previous plot to kill Pule having failed.
This case is, sadly, not unique. It is one of many in which women have met their deaths at the hands of men, including their partners. In this instance, justice was done, with the perpetrators receiving long prison sentences.
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