Self-proclaimed prophet, traditional healer gets 5 life sentences for rape

A KwaZulu-Natal self-proclaimed prophet and traditional healer who gave false prophecies to lure three young women has been sentenced to five life terms for rape.

Mthokozisi Cyril Mdlalose, 37, was handed down an additional 30 years behind bars by the Nquthu Regional Court on Wednesday.

His sentence stems from the investigating officer connecting the dots and linking Mdlalose to the rape of three young women between 2020 and 2022.

Girl told she was bewitched

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said that in October 2020, Mdlalose pretended to be a prophet, and he gave an 18-year-old girl a false prophecy that she was bewitched and that her days on earth were numbered.

He instructed the victim to come to his house to reverse the curse, and her mother, who believed the “prophet,” allowed her to go see the predator.

“The fake prophet told the girl to lie on her back and apply some ointment to her body before raping her. After the ordeal, he instructed the victim not to tell anyone, and 11 days later, he raped her again,” Netshiunda said.

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Thinking that he got away with the first rape, Mdlalose used his prophecy modus operandi again to lure a 15-year-old girl to his house, where he instructed her to undress herself before raping her several times in February 2022.

Mother took daughter for cleansing with ‘traditional healer’

In August that year, Mdlalose masqueraded as a traditional healer, and an unsuspecting mother took her 18-year-old daughter to him for cleansing.

“Mdlalose took the victim to the river, where he instructed her to bathe. By the time she finished bathing, he had already put a towel on the floor where he ordered her to sit, and he had applied his muti to her head and ears. The victim became unconscious, and when she woke up, Mdlalose was nowhere to be found, and she then realised that she was raped,” Netshiunda said.

The provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, praised the work of the investigating officer and applauded the court for handing down the ultimate sentence to the rapist.

“The sentence comes in a month in which the country is honouring and paying attention to all the efforts and sacrifices made by women in our society. Sentences such as this encourage our investigators to put in more effort and leave no stone unturned, knowing that the court will remove those who abuse women from society for good,” Mkhwanazi said.

Mdlalose was also declared unfit to possess a firearm, and his name will be added to the National Register of Sex Offenders.

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Traditional leader handed life sentence for murder

This comes as a traditional leader in the Eastern Cape was given a life sentence for murder.

Inkosi Masibonge Magodla was found guilty of murdering a 94-year-old man who he believed had bewitched him.

The Tsomo Regional Court handed down the sentence on 21 August after finding Magodla guilty of the April 2022 crime.

Additional reporting by Jarryd Westerdale