S Africa police name suspects linked to murder of student on date
Police in South Africa have named three men believed to be directly involved in the murder of a university student who had gone on a date.
Olorato Mongale's body was discovered on Sunday in Lombardy, north of Johannesburg, about two hours after she was reported missing.
Police late on Wednesday said they had seized a VW Polo that was allegedly used in the murder of the 30-year-old student.
"The vehicle was found with traces of blood inside at a panel beater workshop in Phoenix, Durban," police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said.
One man, who police believed was the owner of the vehicle, has been arrested.
Photographs of three other suspects - Fezile Ngubane, Philangenkosi Sibongokuhle Makhanya and Bongani Mthimkhulu - who are said to be on the run, have been released by police.
Brig Mathe said the men were "dangerous" and cautioned members of the public not to come near them.
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"These suspects are warned to hand themselves over at their nearest police station."
Ms Mongale was last seen on Sunday in the company of a man she had met a few days earlier at a mall.
CCTV footage showed her leaving a location in Kew, Johannesburg, and walking towards a white VW Polo, with fake licence plates.
Her friends said she was invited for a date by a man only identified as John, who she met in Johannesburg, where she was studying for a postgraduate degree at Witwatersrand University.
She texted one of her friends shortly before leaving home, saying that she was excited and getting ready for her date.
But police later found her body in an open field, sparking public outrage and calls for justice.
Family spokesperson Criselda Kananda said Ms Mongale's body was "brutally violated."
A candlelight vigil was held on Wednesday evening in Lombardi West, at the site where the body was found dumped.
Family and friends have described her as an outspoken, bubbly woman who "lived with purpose and love", local media reported.
Ms Mongale was a journalism graduate from Rhodes University and worked briefly as a multimedia reporter at the TimesLIVE news website.
While working as a journalist, she covered the murder of Karabo Mokoena - a young woman who was murdered by her boyfriend in 2017.
Ms Mongale's killing has sparked a fierce debate about the levels of violence faced by women in South Africa.
It is the latest femicide in a country which has a particular problem with femicide and violence against women.
In 2020, an average of one woman died at the hands of her intimate partner every eight hours, according to a study by the University of the Free State.
In 2019, South Africa ranked among the five countries with the highest rates of the murder of women, according to the United Nations.
The country has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world, with rape being the most reported crime against children.
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Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
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