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A 28-year-old South African woman, Mologadi Magdeline Mehlape, has been sentenced to life in prison for the cold-blooded, premeditated murder of her father, Dr. Malekutu Johannes Mehlape, a senior education official in Limpopo.
The Polokwane High Court handed down the sentence on Wednesday, June 11, after Mehlape pleaded guilty to charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances. In addition to the life sentence, she received a 15-year term for robbery. Both sentences will run concurrently.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the horrifying crime occurred on December 28, 2023, in Mankweng Zone 1, just outside Polokwane. Dr. Mehlape was ambushed and shot several times while asleep in his bedroom. The attackers also made off with his mobile phone and other valuables.
The murder, prosecutors revealed, was not random. NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi disclosed that Mehlape conspired to have her father killed, influenced by a traditional healer and co-accused, Hlologelo Klaas Mogotlane. The healer had convinced her that Dr. Mehlape had used witchcraft (muti) to cause her mother’s death. When spiritual means of retaliation failed, Mehlape allegedly agreed to pay R200,000 for her father’s assassination.
On the night of the attack, Mehlape allowed the killers into the home by unlocking the gate and the main entrance, knowing her father would be asleep and vulnerable.
In court, Mehlape apologized to her family and asked for leniency, citing unresolved issues with her father and her role as the mother of a 21-month-old daughter. However, State Advocate Muneiwa Ratshibvumo argued that her plea was driven not by remorse, but by overwhelming evidence. She described the crime as “gruesome and heartless.”
Four other suspects Tshepo Gabriel Ranoto, Hlologelo Klaas Mogotlane, Mahlodi Melida Mathole, and Michael Sello Molongoane are also facing charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, armed robbery, and illegal possession of firearms. Their trial has been adjourned to June 20.
This chilling case has shocked many across South Africa, highlighting the deadly consequences of family feuds, superstition, and betrayal.
