The Limpopo High Court sitting at Polokwane, South Africa has convicted and sentenced a self-styled prophet Mothupi Tjale Tau (36) to three life terms of imprisonment and additional 37 years imprisonment for multiple offences including two counts of m8rder, two counts of kidnapping, r@pe, robbery with aggravating circumstances and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in a statement on Monday, December 1, 2025 said Tau robbed and st@bbed a mother to d3ath and then r@ped and k!lled her daughter. The court further ordered for his name to be registered in the National Register of the Sexual Offenders and declared him unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103 of the firearms control Act 60 of 2000. The accused is further not eligible to work with children. Tau, from Brooklyn in Sekhukhune District, pleaded not guilty and the state led evidence of the multiple state witnesses who testified that the deceased, Hellen Teiwa Malepe and the accused were known to each other as the accused presented himself to her as a prophet who offered assistance to her family in the form of spiritual guidance. Between 29 and 30 December 2023 at the Oaks village, the accused came to the house of the deceased Hellen Malepe demanding money. He forcefully dragged the deceased from her house to the nearby bushes where he st@bbed her multiple times leaving her for dead. He further robbed her of her cellphone and fled the scene. The accused then went back to the house of the deceased (mother) and he found the second deceased, her daughter Kgaogelo Michelle Malepe and strangled her until she was unconscious, thereafter r@ped her inside their home. He also inflicted grievous bodily injuries on her, she later succumbed to injuries and was certified d3ad at the scene inside her home. After the ordeal, he stuffed her 5-year-old son with a jersey in his mouth, tied him with a masking tape around his mouth and tied his hands behind his back and locked him inside the house, leaving him in full exposure of her deceased sister's lifeless body. After thorough investigation by the police, the accused was arrested and kept in custody until his trial. The accused was ultimately found guilty of these charges after he claimed that he was not responsible for these vile acts. In aggravation of sentence, senior state advocate Lerato Mohlaka submitted that the accused was found guilty of more than one type of three most heinous crimes, two counts of murder and rape, assault of a minor and robbery. She argued that the accused m8rdered a mother and daughter, and he exposed the minor boy to unspeakable levels of pain, trauma, and violence. The state further submitted that the court should take note that Gender-Based Violence was declared a national disaster by the President of the Republic of South Africa. Not only is it prevalent and very serious within the jurisdiction of this court, however, the facts of this particular case have sent shock waves to the community of the Oaks Village and the country. The state concluded by submitting that when the court considers the interest of the society, it must be mindful that our societies expect courts to hand down sentences that must reflect non-tolerance towards Gender-Based Violence and Femicide cases. The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the sentences. Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv. Ivy Thenga stated that all cases of sexual violence encroach on the rights to dignity and privacy of the victims as enshrined in our constitution, hence the NPA aggressively prosecutes these cases. She further praised Advocate Mohlaka and Investigating officer, Sergeant Shawn Mbhalati of Hoedspruit Police Station, for securing the conviction, the statement added.
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