Limpopo prophet gets three life imprisonment sentences

A 36-year-old prophet, Mothupi Tjale Tau, from Brooklyn in the Sekhukhune District, was given three life sentences by the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane for a number of crimes, including rape and murder.

The court heard that Tau initially presented himself to one of the deceased victims, named Hellen Teiwa Malepe, as a prophet who offered assistance to her family in the form of spiritual guidance. 

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Tau went to the deceased’s home in Oaks village on December 29 and 30, 2023, after providing those services, and demanded money.

According to reports, he dragged Hellen violently from her home to the bushes nearby, where he stabbed her many times and grabbed her cellphone before leaving her for dead.

He then went back to the house of the deceased, found her daughter, Kgaogelo Michelle Malepe and strangled her until she was unconscious, and then raped her inside their home. She later succumbed to injuries and was certified dead at the scene inside her home.

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After the ordeal, he stuffed her 5-year-old son with a jersey in his mouth, tied him with masking tape around his mouth, tied his hands behind his back and locked him inside the house, leaving him in full exposure to her deceased sister’s lifeless body. 

He pleaded not guilty. However, the court found him guilty and also sentenced him to an additional 37 years in prison.