Traditional Healer Jailed Over Murder Plot

A Limpopo traditional healer has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the killing of a senior education official, after the Polokwane High Court found his actions went far beyond offering “spiritual advice”.

Dr Malekutu Johannes Mehlape, a circuit manager at the Limpopo Department of Education, was shot and killed at his home in Mankweng Zone 1 outside Polokwane on 28 December 2023, in what the state described as a contract killing disguised as a robbery.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the plot was driven by Mehlape’s daughter, Mologadi Magdeline Mehlape, who believed her father was responsible for her mother’s death through “muthi”. Prosecutors said she was influenced by Hlologelo Klaas Mogotlane, who allegedly convinced her that her father had used witchcraft to harm her mother.

Mehlape’s daughter has already been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, after pleading guilty. The court previously heard she opened the gate and the main door, allowing the attackers to enter the property.

Mogotlane, 36, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years for murder and 13 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently. The court also declared him unfit to possess a firearm.

NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the court viewed Mogotlane as the instigator, stressing that cultural beliefs cannot be used to excuse harm. “The law aims to balance cultural sensitivity with protecting human rights and preventing harm,” she said, adding that this is why the court found the sangoma carried liability as the driving force behind events.

Meanwhile, three other accused linked to the matter are expected back in court in November 2026, as their trial has been separated.