In a shocking case from Limpopo, South Africa, 28-year-old Mologadi Magdeline Mehlape has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the planned murder of her father, Dr. Malekutu Johannes Mehlape, a school official. The Polokwane High Court handed down the sentence on Wednesday, June 11, after Mehlape admitted guilt to charges of murder and aggravated robbery. She also received a concurrent 15-year sentence for the robbery.
The horrific incident happened on December 28, 2023, in Mankweng Zone 1, near Polokwane. Dr. Mehlape was attacked and shot multiple times in his bedroom, and his phone and other valuable items were stolen.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mehlape arranged her father's murder. NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi revealed that Mehlape acted on claims from a traditional healer, Hlologelo Klaas Mogotlane, who told her that her father had used witchcraft to cause her mother's death. When traditional methods of revenge didn't work, Mehlape reportedly worked with family members and agreed to pay R200,000 (about $11,000 USD) to have her father killed.
On the night of the murder, Mehlape made it easy for the attackers by unlocking the gate and main door to her father's house, allowing them to kill him while he was asleep.
Four other people involved in the case—Tshepo Gabriel Ranoto, Hlologelo Klaas Mogotlane, Mahlodi Melida Mathole, and Michael Sello Molongoane—are facing their own charges, including conspiracy to murder, murder, aggravated robbery, and illegal possession of weapons. Their trial is set for June 20.
During her plea for a lighter sentence, Mehlape apologized to her family, claiming she had unresolved issues with her father and that she had to care for her 21-month-old daughter. However, State Advocate Muneiwa Ratshibvumo rejected her apology, arguing that it wasn't true remorse but rather a reaction to the strong evidence against her. Ratshibvumo called the murder "gruesome and heartless."
