Mologadi Mehlape (28) has been found guilty of the brutal murder of her father, Dr Malekutu Johannes Mehlape, a respected circuit manager in Limpopo’s education department.
This comes after Mehlape entered a guilty plea to murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances at her father’s house in Mankweng Zone 1, which is just outside of Polokwane, on December 28, 2023.
The case, which shocked the local community, came to a sombre end on Wednesday when the Limpopo High Court rendered its decision.
Attempts to use dark magic
Mehlape received sentences of 15 years in prison for robbery and life in prison for murder. The sentences will run concurrently.
Mehlape appeared in court alongside four other accused – Michael Sello Molongoane (42), Mahlodi Melida Mathole (34), Tshepo Gabriel Ranoto (34), and 34-year-old Hlologelo Klaas Mogotlane.
The four co-accused are charged with murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, conspiracy to commit murder, and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
The Polokwane High Court has separated and rescheduled the trial for these accused individuals for June 20.
According to the court, Mehlape planned the murder in response to allegations made by Mogotlane (accused three), a traditional healer, that her father used “muthi” to kill her mother.
After her attempts to use dark magic to exact revenge for her mother’s death failed, Mehlape recruited several family members to help her hire a contract killer, agreeing to pay R200 000 for the hit.
Shot multiple times while sleeping
The court was told that on the night of the murder, Mehlape unlocked the main door and gate, giving the criminals easy access to the house.
The criminals ambushed the deceased in his bedroom while he was asleep, shooting him multiple times and robbing him of several valuables, including his cellphone.
During the arrests in Mankweng, a Ford Ranger double cab thought to have been used in the crimes was seized, and during an arrest in Zebediela, a firearm — the alleged murder weapon — was found.
As part of her sentence mitigation, Mehlape expressed regret to her family, pointing out that she is the primary carer for her daughter and that she and her father had unresolved disagreements.
State Advocate Muneiwa Ratshibvumo countered that the guilty plea was driven more by the overwhelming weight of the evidence than by sincere regret.
The murder, according to Ratshibvumo, was brutal and gory.
