Gauteng police have arrested a 31-year-old man for the murder of Tshegofatso Pule, 28, whose body was found stabbed and hanged in a veld in Roodepoort last week. She was eight months pregnant when she was murdered.
According to police spokesperson Colonel Noxolo Kweza, the man was arrested on Monday on his way from Mpumalanga and he is expected to appear in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Pule’s brutal death caused outrage on social media and the hashtag #JusticeForTshego was trending on Twitter on Monday. The story made headlines internationally.
Police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele said Pule was stabbed in the nipple of her left breast.
“[Pule] was found by a member of the community hanging from a tree, who then notified the police. The deceased is also confirmed to be pregnant.”
She had last been seen when she left her home in Meadowlands, Soweto, to visit her boyfriend. A relative told The Sowetan that Pule called the family and said she had had an argument with her boyfriend, who then called a taxi for her. Neither she nor her boyfriend could be reached after that call.
Kweza would not confirm the identity of the suspect until he has appeared in court.
READ | Tshegofatso Pule’s last words: ‘I want to come back home’
Her family said they were hurt by her death and the “horrific” scene where she was found. Pule was laid to rest in Soweto on Thursday.
Pule’s funeral was attended by leaders of political party leaders, including the EFF’s Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and officials from government.
“To my son, brothers, to my children out there, we did not raise you like this. If there is any mistake, I have done to you give me a chance to fix them,” Pule’s emotional aunt Pricilla Giwu said.
Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant General Elias Mawela applauded the detectives for their swift response in the investigation into Pule’s death.
On Youth Day on Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa used his 16 June address to call on young men to become more active in the fight against gender-based violence.
He said government would increase sexual offences courts and do more to support victims.
One of the protesters, Kagiso Manitshane, who ended up leading the group, told News24 the brutal murder of Pule on 8 June was a turning point.
