The South African police have named three men believed to be directly involved in the murder of Olorato Mongale, a 30-year-old university student who was found dead on Sunday in Lombardy, north of Johannesburg, about two hours after she was reported missing.
Mongale, a journalism graduate from Rhodes University and former multimedia reporter at TimesLIVE, had gone on a date with a man she met a few days earlier at a mall, identified only as “John”.
CCTV footage showed her leaving a location in Kew, Johannesburg, and walking towards a white VW Polo with fake licence plates.
The police later seized the vehicle, which was found with traces of blood inside, at a panel beater workshop in Phoenix, Durban, and arrested the suspected owner.
Photographs of the other suspects, Fezile Ngubane, Philangenkosi Sibongokuhle Makhanya, and Bongani Mthimkhulu, have been released, with police warning they are “dangerous” and should not be approached.
Mongale’s killing has sparked public outrage and calls for justice, highlighting South Africa’s persistent problem with femicide and violence against women.
