The daughter of the Limpopo Education circuit manager, Dr Malekutu Mehlape, was among two suspects who appeared before Mankweng Magistrates Court in Limpopo for his murder yesterday. Mologadi Mehlape (28), alleged hitmen Hlolofelo Mogotlane (33) and Tshepo Ranoto (34) were arrested over the weekend after they were linked to Mehlape's murder. He was murdered at his home in Mankweng two weeks ago in what was made to look like a robbery gone wrong on 28 December.
According to a family member who spoke to ZiMoja on condition of anonymity, Mologadi had been complaining to friends and family that her father was enjoying her mother's money with other women. "Her mother died from Covid-19 complications three years go and she has been fighting her father since. She wanted her father to give her money from her mother's policies and pension. We don't know what more she wanted because she had everything a lot of women her age work hard to get. She had a car, a soft life that her father provided for but she wanted more and felt entitled," the family member said, adding that the suspect did not even shed a tear during Mehlape's burial. "She did not care, it was like we were the ones who lost a father because he was like a father to all his nephews and nieces. He went an extra mile for all of us and it's tragic that someone he loved and trusted took his life like he meant nothing," the relative added.
The suspects are facing charges of murder, robbery with aggravated circumstances, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition. SAPS spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the two male suspects were arrested in the early hours of Saturday, in Zebediela, by a team of investigators, including the Tracking Team as well as Murder and Robbery unit members. "During the arrest, a double cab Ford Ranger, which was allegedly used to commit the crime, was confiscated, "said Ledwaba.
Ledwaba said the deceased, 56, was gunned down at home in Mankweng Zone1, outside Polokwane, on 28 December 2023. "Preliminary investigations established that the deceased's daughter was ambushed when she returned from a function and forced inside the house. The suspects demanded to know the whereabouts of Mehlape and robbed one of two people they had rounded up inside. The armed suspects then combed the house and found Mehlape. They allegedly demanded cash and after he gave them but they shot him and fled the scene." Provincial Police Commissioner, Leutenant General Thembi Hadebe, applauded the team for the swift arrest and urged them to leave no stone unturned. "We will forever be indebted to this team for working relentlessly in pursuant of the criminals. More arrests are expected, " she said.The suspect will be back in court on the case 22 of January for formal bail application.
