By Our Reporter
In a chilling case that has rocked Limpopo [South Africa], the Polokwane High Court has sentenced 28-year-old Mologadi Magdeline Mehlape to life imprisonment for the cold-blooded murder of her father, respected education official Dr Malekutu Johannes Mehlape. The daughter-turned-killer admitted to masterminding the brutal assassination, which was carried out at his Mankweng Zone 1 home on December 28, 2023.
Dr Mehlape, who served as a circuit manager at the Limpopo Department of Education, was ambushed in his sleep, shot multiple times, and robbed of personal belongings — including his cellphone. His murder was not a random act of violence, but a carefully orchestrated hit rooted in a twisted belief: a traditional healer had convinced Mehlape that her father had caused her mother’s death through the use of muti (witchcraft).
When traditional retaliation failed, Mehlape recruited family members and allegedly agreed to pay R200,000 to hire a contract killer. She facilitated the killing by unlocking the gate and door to her father’s home, granting the assassins access to his bedroom.
In addition to the life sentence for murder, Mehlape received 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances. The sentences will run concurrently, said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi.
The court separated her trial from four co-accused — Tshepo Gabriel Ranoto, Hlologelo Klaas Mogotlane (the traditional healer), Mahlodi Melida Mathole, and Michael Sello Molongoane — who face charges of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, armed robbery, and possession of an unlicensed firearm. Their trial resumes on June 20.
In a last-ditch plea for leniency, Mehlape expressed remorse, citing her role as the sole caregiver to her 21-month-old daughter and claiming long-standing conflict with her father. But state advocate Muneiwa Ratshibvumo dismissed the apology as hollow, arguing the guilty plea was driven by overwhelming evidence — not genuine remorse. She labeled the murder as “gruesome and heartless.”
The NPA welcomed the outcome, saying the life sentence underscores the justice system’s commitment to holding violent criminals accountable — even when they come from within the victim’s own home.