
Police claims syndicate behind Olorato Mongale murder
JOHANNESBURG - The net is closing in for the suspects believed to be behind the murder of 30-year-old Olorato Mongale, whose body was found dumped in Lombadry West on Monday.
It has now been revealed that she may not be the only victim.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says they are now investigating a possible syndicate that targets young women under the pretense of pursuing a love interest.
"They propose to this young woman usually in malls, request to take them out on dates, and when they agree, that is when they plan to rob them," Mathe says.
On Thursday, police confirmed that they had added a third person to the list of wanted suspects for the murder of Mongale.
An elderly man has recently been arrested after the VW Polo allegedly used in the crime was found in Phoenix, Durban.
According to Mathe, two of the three arrested suspects are linked to other crimes dating back to April this year.
She says the men had been arrested and charged with kidnapping and robbery, but when they appeared in court, they were granted bail.
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The South African
an hour ago
- The South African
Bloem teenager allegedly taken by unknown men in SAPS uniform
Police in Bloemfontein are searching for 19-year-old Kamogelo Baukudi, who was allegedly kidnapped by two men impersonating officers on Thursday afternoon. He was immediately reported missing. 'The complainant, Daniel Malebatso, arrived at Marti Du Plessis School in Fitchardpark as usual, to fetch Baukudi who is a Grade 11 learner at the school,' said SAPS national spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe. According to Mathe, Malebatso left the school with the teenager and they were driving in a Suzuki Ertiga. Malebatso said while driving on Vereeniging Drive near Erlichpark Extension, they suddenly heard a siren going off behind them. He said they were pulled over by a White Toyota Hilux GD-6 Double Cab. He alleges that he saw two male persons inside the vehicle and insists that their identities are unknown to him. However he said that one of the men was wearing a police uniform while the other wore blue tracksuits. 'According to the complainant, the suspects bakkie was fitted with blue lights on the grill and what looked like a police radio inside,' said Mathe. According to Malebatso, the suspect who was wearing a police uniform confronted him and informed him that the vehicle they were driving in was suspected of drug trafficking. He alleges the two 'officers' then separated him from Baukudi. Malebatso claims he was instructed to drive in front of the 'police vehicle', while they followed behind him en route to Park Road Police Station. 'Both vehicles turned back and drove in westerly direction in Vereeniging Drive. Malebatso alleges that a truck went in-between the Suzuki he was driving and the Toyota Hilux and he never saw it again,' said Mathe. 'Malebatso recalls that one of the suspects was speaking Sesotho fluently and even mentioned the name 'Thipe',' said Mathe She said the cellphones belonging to both Malebatso and Baukudi were found under the bridge on Ferrera Road. A case of kidnapping and impersonating the police has since been opened at Parkweg Police Station. Police are pleading with anyone who might have information that can help locate Kamogelo Baukudi, to come forward. If you have any information, contact Captain Sabata Jafta Moseme at 082 5262 713. Alternatively the information can be submitted on MySAPS App or call the SAPS Crime Stop number 08600 10111. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.

IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
‘I wasn't as cautious as Olorato': Joburg woman shares her close encounters with dating scammer
As South Africans demand answers on the brutal murder of 30-year-old Joburg woman, Olorato Mongale while on a date, IOL has interviewed another Joburg woman, Jabu Nxumalo who was defrauded of R500,000 in a dating scam. Image: IOL collage As South Africans reflect over the brutal murder of 30-year-old Joburg woman, Olorato Mongale, police say they are 'on the tail' of Bongani Mthimkulu, the remaining suspect believed to be part of a syndicate that targeted different young women at shopping malls across different provinces. IOL previously reported that Olorato had met the mysterious man, only identified as 'John', at a shopping mall in Bloemfontein, Free State. The duo met around May, and following days of virtual communication, they agreed to go on a date. Days later, the man arrived at Olorato's residence in Joburg, and picked her up in a white Volkswagen Polo. However, having her suspicions about the mystic John, before Olorato was picked up on May 25, she communicated with her friends, alerting them that she was about to go out with the man, and that they should look for her if she vanishes. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. Family spokesperson Criselda Kananda said Olorato had told her friends to search for her should she not send them a message revealing her whereabouts in an hour following her outing. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'We are devastated by this tragic loss and we ask that you continue to keep her family in your friends began to get worried after two hours passed without Olorato sending them a location. They then activated 'Find My Location', and it led them to a house in Bramley. The friends found her bag and cellphone outside the house,' she said. National police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said several of Mongale's items, such as her phone and handbag, were found discarded on 9th Road in Kew, Johannesburg. Her body was discovered shortly afterwards in the vicinity. The slain Olorato Mongale. Image: X Since last year, IOL has been running the scammed series where several South African women and men have lost their hard-earned money including pensions and bank loans through romance scams. The victims have regrouped and are knocking on different doors, demanding answers. Some of the scammed women have alleged that they were turned away from different police stations, while several fraud cases opened by the victims have been closed by the South African Police Service (SAPS). In the majority of the cases, the unsuspecting, love-struck victims did not observe much about the criminals who they 'dated', and many only realised the scam after huge amounts of money were stolen from them and the lover has vanished into thin air. The South African Police Service (SAPS) requesting Ugandan national Joseph Ssekasi, with aliases including Deon Mundari to come forward after Joburg woman Jabu Nxumalo (left) was scammed of more than R500,000. Image: IOL collage One of the scammed victims featured in the IOL series, Jabu Nxumalo said in her vivid recollection, there was nothing amiss when she hooked up with a Joseph Ssekasi on dating site Tinder in 2023. Reflecting on the fate of Olorato, Jabu praised the former Wits University student's vigilance when planning the date. 'I think it was a very traumatic incident, because the fact that women can't even go on a date anymore is very disturbing and questions the society and the men we live with. If we don't survive the love scam, we end up being killed,' Jabu told IOL. 'Looking back, I'm very grateful to still be alive, because those men could have done God knows what, without anyone knowing what happened to me or where I was. Not even my family knew where the scammer lived, because I wasn't as cautious as Olorato. 'It is very sad that Olorato was cautious and did everything right, but still lost her life. You could tell that she knew what kind of sick world we live in,' said Jabu. When Jabu met the scammer, she was innocently hoping to get an honest, loving boyfriend when she joined the dating app, Tinder. Soon, she had Ssekasi courting her. 'At the time, he called himself Deron Mundari, and claimed to be from South Sudan. Honestly, there was nothing amiss about the guy,' Nxumalo previously said in an interview with IOL. 'He seemed like a down to earth and a respectful person. Little did I know that he was in this relationship for a paycheck in the name of love.' IOL has for years reported on several cases of hardworking women, particularly those who are in steady jobs including civil servants, who got scammed of millions of rand by unscrupulous men, who target vulnerable women in the name of dating. In 2024, IOL reported that a Congolese man, Joseph Hassan Yaye appeared before the Makhado Magistrate's Court after a Limpopo-based woman, a member of the South African Police Service (SAPS) was scammed of her pension lump sum. Congolese national Joseph Hassan Yaye appeared the Makhado Magistrate's Court, after he was arrested for allegedly defrauding a police officer in Limpopo. Image: SAPS In Jabu's case, within four months of meeting Ssekasi, the man vanished with her R510,000. Part of the fraud involved a purported 'ancestor's voice' which instructed Nxumalo to approach different banks and raise R500,000 which she handed over to him at his place in Brakpan. This money, Nxumalo was told, was her contribution in a mysterious investment scheme which involved 'ancestors' and prayers. After the scam became clear, the emotionally wrecked Jabu was admitted in a psychiatric hospital as she had become suicidal. 'I had not slept for two nights,' she narrated. 'Just a day before I was discharged, I was called by a detective Khumalo from Boksburg police station who wanted us to meet the day after I leave the hospital. I then went with my brother to meet the detective,' Nxumalo said. 'While I was narrating my story, she stopped me and told me that as police, they can only arrest people they know their whereabouts, and that with cases of this nature, there is a low likelihood that a criminal can be sentenced,' she said. The bubbly Jabu Nxumalo has gathered the pieces of her life, joined hands with other victims, and calls for women to be vigilant at all times. Image: Supplied 'During our conversation, I showed her the picture of Ssekasi, the person who scammed me. Detective Khumalo did not event take the photo, and to-date she does not have a photo of my scammer, the person SAPS is hoping to catch one day. 'That engagement with the police detective actually depressed me more. I ended up asking detective Khumalo, if she was trying to tell me that there is nothing the police can do to help me,' said Jabu.


The Citizen
4 hours ago
- The Citizen
Police launch search for teen kidnapped by fake cops
The suspects' bakkie was fitted with blue lights on the grill and what looked like a police radio inside. 19 year old Kamogelo Baukudi was kidnapped in Vereeniging on Thursday. Picture: Saps A police task team is desperately searching for 19-year-old Kamogelo Baukudi, who was kidnapped by two suspects impersonating police officers It is understood that Baukudi was kidnapped in Vereeniging on Thursday, just before 12pm. Police spokesperson Colonel Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said a complainant identified as Daniel Malebatso arrived at Marti Du Plessis School in Fitchardpark as usual to fetch Baukudi, a Grade 11 pupil at the school. Confrontation Mathe said the duo left the school premises with Baukudi, driving the Suzuki Ertiga. 'Whilst driving along Vereeniging Drive Erlichpark Extension, Daniel alleges that they heard a siren sound from behind, and they were pulled over by a White Toyota Hilux GD-6 Double Cab. 'Inside the Toyota Hilux, there were two unknown male persons; one wearing police uniform and the other blue tracksuits,' Mathe said. According to Malebatso, the suspects' bakkie was fitted with blue lights on the grill and what looked like a police radio inside. ALSO READ: Gauteng family pleads for safe return of their little daughter Kidnapping Mathe said the suspect, wearing a police uniform, confronted Malebatso and informed him that the Suzuki Ertiga they were driving together with Baukudi was suspected of delivering drugs. 'The suspects then separated Daniel and Kamogelo and instructed Daniel to drive at the front whilst they followed from behind to Park Road Police Station. 'Both vehicles turned back and drove in westerly direction in Vereeniging Drive. Daniel alleges that a truck went in-between the Suzuki he was driving and the Toyota Hilux and he never saw it again,' Mathe said. Investigation Malebatso told the police that one of the suspects spoke Sesotho fluently and even mentioned the name 'Thipe'. Mathe said Malebatso and Baukudi's mobile phones were found under the bridge on Ferrera Road. 'A case docket of kidnapping and impersonating the police was opened at Parkweg Police Station. Any member of the public who might have information that can help the police to find Kamogelo Baukudi; and might have seen the vehicles while in Vereeniging Drive is requested to contact Captain Sabata Jafta Moseme at 082 5262 713. 'Alternatively, the information can be submitted on the MySAPS App or call the Saps Crime Stop number 08600 10111,' Mathe said. ALSO READ: Police rope in specialised team to probe murder of 14-year-old Lukhona Fose