Olorato Mongale murder: One man cleared, released from police custody
Fezile Ngubane, who was previously linked to the murder of Olorato Mongale, has been cleared by police.
Police said Ngubane's father voluntarily brought him to the KwaMashu police station on Friday.
A preliminary report revealed that Ngubane, who resides in the same neighbourhood as the late suspect Philangenkosi Makhanya, was unknowingly exploited.
One of the men previously wanted in connection with Olorato Mongale's murder has been released from police custody, without any charges being filed, police said on Saturday.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said Fezile Ngubane's father voluntarily brought him to the KwaMashu police station on Friday when he learnt that his son had been linked to the ongoing murder investigation.
However, Mathe said that, after thorough interviews and an initial investigation conducted by a multidisciplinary team, Ngubane was officially cleared of wrongdoing.
Mathe said Ngubane, who apparently works as a car washer and resides in the same neighbourhood as the late suspect Philangenkosi Makhanya, was unknowingly exploited.
'Makhanya allegedly identified Ngubane as a soft target and took his ID smart card and used it to Rica SIM cards that Makhanya would use to commit his long list of kidnapping and robbery crimes targeted at young women.
'At times, it's alleged that he would use Ngubane's bank card to buy at various clothing stores,' Mathe said.
Mathe said Ngubane's identity card was among the 27 ID smart cards found in Makhanya's possession.
'The SAPS has also released the parents of one of the two suspects in the case after their statements were taken down,' she said.
Mathe said police had recorded 20 cases where women had come forward to identify the suspects as those who had kidnapped and robbed them.
Police previously identified Ngubane, Makhanya, 28, Bongani Mthimkhulu, 34, as suspects sought in connection with the killing of 30-year-old Mongale.
Mongale's badly beaten body was discovered on 34 Cambridge Road, outside a car workshop in Lombardy West on Sunday.
She was last seen on Sunday afternoon, climbing into a white Polo Volkswagen with cloned number plates, outside her complex in Atholl, Johannesburg.
Mongale was under the impression that she was going on a date with a man she had met in Bloemfontein while visiting family. The man called himself 'John'.
Makhanya was killed during a shootout with KwaZulu-Natal police after he was located at an apartment in Amanzimtoti, south of Durban, in the early hours of Friday morning.
Makhanya was found in possession of 28 identity cards, a safe, and 'not less than' 20 cellphones.
News24 previously reported that KwaZulu-Natal's police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, said that Makhanya had allegedly confessed to the murder and wanted to take his own life before he was gunned down.
Mkhwanazi said that, according to the owner of the apartment, Makhanya confessed to him what he did in Johannesburg, and that he wanted to take his own life.
'There is a person who deals with hiring vehicles and is renting out an apartment here. The suspect has previously rented a car from him. The guy says, upon seeing his [Makhanya's] face on social media, he decided that he was not going to give him the vehicle.
'He stayed with him the whole day trying to convince him to hand himself over to the police, which he refused,' he told reporters at the scene.
Meanwhile, Mthimkhulu remains at large.
'The search for Bongani Mthimkhulu continues, and police once again call on Mthimkhulu to hand himself over at his nearest police station,' Mathe said.
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