RAIN drums on the roof of the home she grew up in and the family huddle in the lounge as water buckets down drainpipes and pools in the street.
It's fitting weather for the Pules – as if the heavens are also weeping for the beautiful young woman who was snatched from them when she had so much to live for.
Tshegofatso Pule, who was eight months pregnant, became another face of the horror of gender-based violence when her body was found hanging from a tree in June 2020.
In the nearly two years since her death, the family have seen two people convicted for her slaying: first the hitman, Muzikayise Malephane (31), and now the father of her unborn child, Ntuthuko Shoba (33).
Malephane, a self-confessed gangster, was sentenced in February 2021 to 20 years in prison. And recently Shoba, a former JSE analyst, was found guilty of masterminding her murder, paying Malephane R70 000 to kill her. He will be sentenced in May.
Tshegofatso's family, who have opened the door of their home in Meadowlands, Soweto, to YOU today, have mixed emotions about the verdict.
“It's hard to say we're happy about it - maybe 'satisfied' is the right word to use says Botlhale Modisane, the family spokesperson and a close friend who helped found the Tshegofatso Pule Foundation to support survivors of gender-based violence and help the families of victims.
"This journey has been full of turmoil but we always believed he would be found guilty," she adds.
Tshegofatso (28), an aspiring makeup artist, was raised in this house by her aunt, Joyce Pule after her mother died. She grew up alongside her cousins, Tshepang and Thabiso.
Joyce is home when YOU visits but she busies herself cooking in the kitchen, unable to speak because it's too painful.
Tshegofatso was a beloved daughter, sister, and cousin who wouldn't have hurt a fly, Tshepang says.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 14 April 2022 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 14 April 2022 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
With more and more of us struggling with our mental health, here's a common-sense guide to coping with life's ups and downs
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them
LIAM LAID TO REST
More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.
SHILOH HANGS OUT
THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.
LEO IN LOVE
He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down
PACKING A PUNCH
Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William