Wednesday, August 5, 2026 -A South African attorney has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the m8rder of his girlfriend and burning her in her car in Johannesburg.
The South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg sentenced
Thubelihle Sbonakaliso Mpisi on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
Mpisi was convicted of the m8rder of Mahlako Malebo Rabalao,
as well as malicious injury to property and defeating the administration of
justice.
Mpisi has been in custody since his arrest on July 28, 2023,
after abandoning his bail application.
Mahlako Malebo Rabalao’s charred remains were found in her Mercedes-Benz on March 9, 2023, near her home in Midrand.
NPA spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole
said that during the
trial, Senior State Advocate Michelle Bayat argued that although medical
experts were unable to determine the exact cause of death because of the
extensive burning of the body, the evidence established beyond reasonable doubt
that Rabalao had died before the fire was started.
The court accepted the State's case, which relied on
circumstantial evidence, including cellphone records, forensic evidence, expert
testimony and Mpisi's conduct before and after the incident.
Prosecutors successfully argued that Mpisi m8rdered Rabalao before setting her body and vehicle alight in an attempt to destroy evidence and conceal the crime.
Evidence before the court also revealed that the pair had
been involved in an intimate relationship. Rabalao had reportedly told
relatives and friends that she intended ending the relationship and moving out
of the home she shared with Mpisi before she was k!lled.
Rabalao, an IT specialist, was about to turn 27 when she was
k!lled.
She was k!lled while planning to move out of an apartment
she shared with Mpisi.
Mpisi, who was 30 at the time, was arrested in KwaZulu-Natal
after four months of investigation.
Before his arrest, Mpisi went on social media to express his
shock and pain at the d8ath of the mother of his three-year-old son.
"Rest in peace, my love. The pain I’m in is so deep. I
don’t know where to begin to start picking up the pieces. How do I raise Beanie
ungekho?... I thank God for giving me the time we’ve shared together; nothing
can ever take that away," Mpisi posted on Facebook on March 23, 2023.
"To all those who have given comfort, it is
appreciated, and also to all who have given their continuous support in all
ways in this dark moment. Your prayers, visits, company, financial and
psychological support is highly appreciated."
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