South African Lawyer Jailed For Life Over Girlfriend’s Murder After Publicly Mourning Her Online

A South African court has sentenced attorney Thubelihle Sbonakaliso Mpisi to life imprisonment for the murder of his girlfriend, Mahlako Malebo Rabalao, whose body was found burned inside her Mercedes-Benz in Johannesburg.

The South Gauteng High Court handed down the sentence on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, after convicting Mpisi of murder, malicious injury to property and defeating the administration of justice.

Rabalao’s charred remains were discovered on March 9, 2023, near her home in Midrand.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), prosecutors established through circumstantial evidence that Rabalao had died before her body and vehicle were deliberately set ablaze in an attempt to destroy evidence and conceal the crime.

Although medical experts were unable to determine the exact cause of death because of the extensive burns, the court accepted the prosecution’s case, which relied on cellphone records, forensic evidence, expert testimony and Mpisi’s conduct before and after the incident.

Investigators also revealed that the couple had been in a romantic relationship and that Rabalao had informed relatives and friends of her intention to end the relationship and move out of the apartment they shared before she was killed.

The 27-year-old IT specialist was reportedly preparing to leave the shared residence when her life was cut short.

Mpisi, who was 30 at the time of the incident, was arrested in KwaZulu-Natal after a four-month investigation. He has remained in custody since his arrest after abandoning his bail application.

The case drew widespread attention after it emerged that, before his arrest, Mpisi had taken to social media to publicly mourn Rabalao, expressing shock and grief over the death of the mother of their three-year-old son.

The conviction has been welcomed by many South Africans, with advocates describing it as a significant step towards justice in the fight against gender-based violence and femicide.