The family of slain Tshegofatso Pule say they knew of her relationship with Ntuthuko Shoba, who has been charged with her murder, but had no clue he was engaged to someone else.

• Tshegofatso Pule’s former lover and father of her unborn child has been charged with her murder. 
• Ntuthuko Shoba appeared in court on Monday and was remanded until 1 March.
• Pule’s family say they knew the pair were in a relationship, but did not know Shoba was engaged to someone else.

The family of slain Tshegofatso Pule say they knew of her relationship with Ntuthuko Shoba, who has been charged with her murder, but had no clue he was engaged to someone else. 
Shoba, who was the father of Pule’s unborn child, made his first appearance in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Monday, dressed in a sleek black suit and was shackled at the ankles. 
“We knew that they were dating. She never reported any forms of violence against her; she never reported any form of intimidation from the guy, but I couldn’t tell you what type of relationship they had. It was intimate between the two of them,” Pule’s uncle Tumisang Katake said.
Katake said this was the first time he had seen or met Shoba in person on Monday.
News24 previously reported that the 32-year-old was arrested at his home in Florida, on the West Rand, on Thursday evening. He had since been charged with Pule’s murder. 
This followed Muzikayise Malephane’s decision to plead guilty to killing the pregnant 28-year-old in June last year.
During his plea agreement, Malephane told the court that Shoba was the mastermind behind Pule’s murder because “he did not want his wife to find out about the unborn baby”.
Katake said: “It’s reopening old wounds that were beginning to heal and this is worse because we have long had our suspicions and they were confirmed on Friday and his involvement in the murder.”  
READ | Man accused of killing pregnant Tshegofatso Pule pleads guilty to her murder
In June last year, Pule had gone to see Shoba in Florida on the West Rand. According to her family, Pule had told them Shoba was her boyfriend and that he had asked her to come over so that they could go and buy clothes for the baby.
They reportedly had an argument and he later called a taxi for her. The car that arrived to pick Pule up was driven by Malephane, his plea agreement read.
On 5 June, Pule’s body was found hanging from a tree in Roodepoort’s Durban Deep, also on the West Rand. She was eight months pregnant at the time.
Shoba is due back in court on 1 March for a formal bail application.
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