The traditional healer sentenced in the Polokwane High Court on Monday is 36-year-old Hlologelo Klaas Mogotlane.

He received 20 years’ imprisonment for murder and 13 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances. The sentences run concurrently. The court also declared him unfit to possess a firearm.

Mogotlane pleaded guilty to the murder of Dr Malekutu Johannes Mehlape, a Circuit Manager at the Limpopo Department of Education. The killing happened on 28 December 2023 at the victim’s home in Mankweng Zone 1, outside Polokwane.

Muthi Allegation Sparked Contract Killing Plot

Court proceedings revealed that the victim’s child consulted Mogotlane after her mother’s death.

Mogotlane told the child that her father had used muthi to cause the mother’s death. When traditional methods failed, the family hired a contract killer and agreed to pay R200 000.

In his plea, Mogotlane admitted his conduct was unlawful. He said he should have disengaged and reported the matter to the police.

The court described the traditional healer sentenced as the instigator. It stressed that the sentence must deter would-be offenders and noted that the victim “died for nothing.”

The trial of the three remaining accused — Tshepo Gabriel Ranoto (34), Mahlodi Melida Mathole (34) and Michael Sello Molongoane (42) — was separated. Their case was postponed to 2–13 November 2026 in the Polokwane High Court. They face charges of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

NPA Welcomes Outcome

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mashudu Malabi confirmed the sentence.

Malabi said the NPA welcomes the conviction. The authority views the outcome as a clear affirmation of the justice system’s resolve to hold perpetrators of serious and violent crimes accountable.

No further comment was available from the family at the time of publication.