Latest news with #KwaMashu
News24
3 days ago
- General
- News24
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.
The Herald
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
'A leader of humility and service': ANC mourns death of Women's League deputy president
Member of the ANC national executive committee and deputy president of the ANC Women's League Lungi Annette Mnganga-Gcabashe has died. Announcing her death, the ANC described Mnganga-Gcabashe as a leader whose life had embodied principled leadership, humility and unyielding love for her people. Mnganga-Gcabashe died on Saturday, leaving behind a lasting legacy that the ANC says will continue to inspire generations. In a statement, the ANC said her death leaves a deep void within the movement and the nation. The party described her as a beacon of calm during turbulent times, a voice of reason amid chaos and a steady hand in rebuilding the country's democracy. Born in KwaMashu on October 27, 1960, Mnganga-Gcabashe's political consciousness was shaped by the struggles of her community, marked by pain, violence and resistance. She did not enter politics for personal advancement but was driven by a sense of duty, elected by her community to serve on peace committees during some of KwaZulu-Natal's most violent years, the ANC said. The party highlighted how her early activism in the United Democratic Front, the Natal Organisation of Women and the ANC bore the hallmarks of her character: selflessness, empathy, courage and conviction. It said she belonged to a generation of women who walked gently but carried within them the fire of justice. She helped build the ANCWL from the ground up, house to house, woman by woman. 'She was never too senior to listen, never too distant to serve. Whether as a volunteer organiser in the townships, a provincial chairperson of the ANCWL or a national leader of our movement, Comrade Lungi remained grounded in the values of our struggle: humility, revolutionary discipline and people-centred leadership. In parliament, she embodied quiet strength and ethical oversight. As chairperson of the portfolio committee on public enterprises, and most recently as chairperson of the portfolio committee on tourism, she worked with care, compassion, and integrity. She demanded accountability not for applause, but for the betterment of the lives of ordinary people. 'She made oversight an act of love — love for the constitution, for public institutions and, above all, for the people. To the end, she remained a committed builder of our movement,' the party said. It said her recent election as deputy president of the Women's League in 2023 reflected the trust, admiration and respect she earned across generations. 'Her message was always rooted in hope and responsibility. She urged communities not to destroy schools, clinics, libraries and halls, reminding us that these were the very instruments of freedom our people had fought for. Hers was a voice that pleaded for unity, for discipline and for generational duty to protect what has been built. Comrade Lungi was a mother, a mentor, a comrade and a patriot.' The party said her loss was deeply felt by the Women's League, her family, her colleagues in parliament, the ANC as a whole and the nation at large. 'But even as we mourn, we remember her smile, her soft-spoken strength, and her unwavering faith in the capacity of ordinary people to change the world. To her family: thank you for sharing her with the nation. To the women of South Africa: may her life be a reminder that dignity and power can live side by side.' TimesLIVE
