Fake lawyer served 15 years for murder

The parolee who was recently arrested for masquerading as a lawyer had been sent to prison for stabbing his university girlfriend to death in campus where they were both students, then went on the run for five years before finally being arrested.

Sowetan has been able to establish that Teboho Johannes Motse murdered the woman at the University of Fort Hare residence 20 years ago.

Motse, who is expected to appear in court tomorrow for impersonating a lawyer, was a law student at Fort Hare back in 2004 when he stabbed his girlfriend to death.

Spokesperson for the Eastern Cape police Lt-Col Siphokazi Mawisa said police opened a murder case at Alice police station after the being summoned to the local university, where a victim had been stabbed to death.

“According to reports, it is alleged that the deceased, Mpolile Masilo, was stabbed to death by Makhalemele Motse while in a hostel at the local university. The suspect fled with no trace, and a warrant of arrest was issued on 5 April 2004. He was then arrested on 24 June 2009 and appeared at court.”

He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on August 19 2010.

A source that spoke to Sowetan on condition of anonymity said he attended the same university with Motse. “Yes, I was there during that time but unfortunately I was staying outside varsity ... not in the varsity's residences.

“What I know is that the victim was his girlfriend. He stabbed her and fled. He was a student from Lesotho,” the source said.

Motse was placed on parole and then rebranded himself as a lawyer until his arrest on November 6. He was charged with uttering, forgery and contravention of the Legal Practice Act.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in the North West Sive Gunye said allegations are that Motse  forged documents, presenting himself as an attorney, and represented clients. “He allegedly did this knowingly that he is not an admitted attorney. It was discovered that Motse uttered his certificate of admission as an attorney.”

Sowetan has not been able to establish whether Motse completed his studies, but the publication understands that he has won an attempted murder case for one of his client.

Another case he won dates back to 2019 when he laid a complaint with the public protector on behalf of the community of Swartkopfontein in North West.

The community was accusing the North West department of mineral resources and energy of failing to ensure that Manganese Minerals delivers on its 2011 social responsibility promises that were agreed on before being given mining rights in the area.

One of the things the mining company had undertaken to do was to improve the infrastructure of Zakhaleni Intermediate School.

In her March 2024 findings, public protector Adv Kholeka Gcaleka stated that “for the period 2011 to 2016, the department of minerals and energy: North West region, failed to ensure that Manganese Minerals submits its SLP annual reports and to deliver on their social Report of the Public Protector 49 responsibility, in this instance, the school infrastructure improvement project”.

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