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Eyewitness News
4 days ago
- Eyewitness News
The normalisation of femicide in South Africa
Bonolo Mahlatsi 6 June 2025 | 12:09 Femicide Gender-based violence (GBV) Women's Month A memorial service was held for Olorato Mongale in Bloemfontein on 29 May 2025. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/EWN Femicide, gender-based violence (GBV), and violence in general have become an integral part of life for South African women. This horrendous crime is a national crisis, plaguing society as a whole. Despite South Africa's robust legal framework, policies and strategic plans aimed at tackling GBV and femicide, such scourges are still escalating and appear to be deeply rooted in societal norms. The epidemic of femicide that South Africa is and has been facing is misogyny amplified, normalised, and reproduced. It has become normal for women to be violated and ostracised while already being vulnerable. The violence against women, and its normalisation, has once again come under the spotlight with the murder of Olorato Mongale, who was killed by a man she went on a first date with. The unfortunate and untimely passing of Olorato, a reminder of what South Africa has become for women, hit home for many individuals, including her friends, who tried to find her after her phone location indicated she was in a dangerous place. Upon realising she was missing, social media posts were circulated seeking assistance from the public about her whereabouts. Olorato was a postgraduate student. Her body was found in Lombardy West in Johannesburg on Sunday, less than two hours after she was picked up. THE SOCIAL MEDIA NARRATIVE However, as if the murder of yet another young woman was not bad enough, it was unfortunate to read the comments posted on social media, such as: "Why did she go out with a stranger?" "Why did she not drive herself to the date?" The posts blamed her for not taking extra measures to avoid putting herself in danger. The comments continued despite people learning about the safety measures Olorato had put in place, including sharing her location with friends. The comments suggest she did not know any better. Another grim and unfortunate instance of femicide was that of Sbusiso Lawrence, a KwaZulu-Natal man who took a disturbing video of himself 'unaliving' (killing) his partner in December 2024. Lawrence's video sparked outrage after he shared the traumatic incident on social media, where he attempted to justify his actions, saying he was triggered by being mistreated in their relationship and was seen with blood on his face. After confessing, he was later found hanging from a tree near the murder scene. The normalisation there was in people asking, "Why did she leave him? He was a good man." And even when it was later revealed that he had previously attempted to unalive her, negative remarks were still made about the victim. The narrative of victim-blaming became apparent following that incident. Again, we observed social media comments that her actions provoked his behaviour, which led to her death. The social media commentary is an invisible finger-pointing exercise that serves to blame women. And there are many other cases. It is such behaviour that normalises and perpetuates violence against women. There is advice cautioning women to avoid becoming victims, such as 'don't walk alone at night, don't wear provocative clothing or short skirts'. However, the same cautions aren't used against men to say they shouldn't violate women. The unfortunate incidents show that social media has unfortunately become a breeding ground for victim-blaming. Victim-blaming has become a normative part of our thinking that goes unchallenged. Social media commentary that pushes the victim-blaming narrative fosters a culture of negativity on social media and only adds salt to the wound, which is another form of deviant behaviour illustrating gendered stereotypes. These narratives pushed through social media commentary obstruct sympathy and support for those who have suffered and those afflicted. Start confronting femicide and GBV to alleviate the dangers Generally, we observe the normalisation through social codes and social media posts that place the blame on women. What is unfortunate is that despite having such social codes that essentially spell out the terms in which women should conduct themselves, all in the name of being 'safe,' women still become victims of femicide and GBV. The normalisation of femicide and GBV is disheartening and inhumane; we need to start confronting it to alleviate the dangers they pose. How many mass movements will it take for women's voices to be heard that we live in constant fear day and night? Why should we suffer at the misogynistic hands of men? Such deviant behaviour cannot in any way be normalised. The danger of continuously normalising such behaviour will get to a point where it will no longer feel wrong. We will soon be celebrating Women's Month, with our faces bowed with despondency from heartbreaking news we would have learned about since the year started and from previous years. Shortly after that, we will be celebrating 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, aware of the constant fear women live in. The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities and the Portfolio Committee on Women should start stepping up intentionally and practically advocating for women (young and old) and uproot the persisting issue with the help of all women to mobilise our cry for help, safety, and not having to live in constant fear. Until that happens, as South African women, we will live in fear and be failed, which is appalling. Do we deserve to be treated like we are sub-human? Bonolo Mahlatsi is a Senior Student Experience Officer in the Centre for Teaching and Learning, and a Sociology master's graduate, UFS. She writes in her personal capacity.
IOL News
4 days 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
29-05-2025
- The Citizen
Bloemfontein mourns Olorato Mongale as police hunt murder suspects
A memorial service is being held today in Bloemfontein for 30-year-old Olorato Mongale, whose brutal murder in Gauteng has sparked national outrage and a growing search for her alleged killers. According to Bloemfontein Courant, the service takes place at Mahube Tumelo Hall in Hamilton and started at 12:00, where family, friends, and community members are gathered to honour the life of a woman described as hardworking, driven, and full of promise. Olorato was originally from Bloemfontein and previously worked as a communications officer at the Free State Department of Economic Development and Tourism between 2020 and 2022. She had relocated to Johannesburg for work opportunities, but her roots remained deeply tied to the province. Her tragic death has not only devastated those who knew her personally, but has also reignited public calls for urgent action to combat gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa. Timeline of the case: Sunday: Olorato was picked up from her residential complex in Athol, Johannesburg, by a man driving a white VW Polo with a cloned number plate (LT 57 JG GP). The man took her through Alexandra and Kew, before she was murdered, allegedly between Alexandra and Lombardy West. Later that afternoon, her body was found with the assistance of community members. Her phone and handbag were recovered nearby on 9th Road in Kew. SAPS initially warned the public to be on the lookout for the vehicle and a suspect known only as 'John'. Vehicle recovered in Durban This week, a breakthrough came when police found the white VW Polo at a panel beater in Phoenix, Durban. Traces of blood were discovered inside, and the registered owner of the vehicle – an elderly man – was arrested. Police are now searching for three suspects: Fezile Ngubane, Philangenkosi Sibongokuhle Makhanya, and Bongani Mthimkhulu (recently added to the wanted list). According to the police, all three are believed to have played a role in Olorato's murder. 'They are considered to be dangerous and members of the public are cautioned not to come near them,' said national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe. Anyone with information is urged to contact Brigadier Nama on 082 778 9035. Premier condemns murder Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae has expressed her condolences to the Mongale family and condemned the killing in the strongest terms. 'We are deeply hurt by what is happening to our women and girl children,' she said. 'We will not give up the fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) and ensure that justice is served to the victims and survivors.' She described Mongale as a dedicated public servant and called for 'all hands on deck' in fighting the GBVF pandemic. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
29-05-2025
- The Citizen
Olorato Mongale: Family reels as only child is violently ripped from her mother
This was not the only woman to have been killed and dumped this month. Olorato Mongale was an only child to her mother, who suffered 'many' miscarriages before finally having her. Mongale's family spokesperson, Criselda Kananda, spoke to the media on Wednesday in an attempt to paint a picture of the impact of the 30-year-old's death. 'Olorato was a child filled with love. When we named her Olorotao la Modimo, it was because we saw God's love through her life. Her mother had many miscarriages, and Olorato was the only one who was saved. 'She's the only daughter and child to her mother, someone then decided that that family no longer deserves to have a child,' said Kananda. ALSO READ: Who's killing SA women? Investigations fail to identify suspects in nearly half of femicide cases Olorato went on a date with her alleged killer, who picked her up from her residential complex in Athol, Johannesburg, at around 3 pm, driving a white VW Polo, on Sunday. He drove with the victim in the township of Alexandra, proceeded to Kew and between Alexandra and Lombardy West in Johannesburg. He allegedly murdered Olorato and dumped her body. Her body was found in less than two hours at around 4:50 pm in Lombardy West on Sunday afternoon by the police, with the assistance of community members. Some of the belongings of the victim, which include a phone and a handbag, were found abandoned on 9th Rd in Kew, Johannesburg. ALSO READ: Justice department's poor record-keeping delays protection orders for GBV victims – AG Investigations revealed that the vehicle was fitted with fake registration number plates, said police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe. Olorato Mongale: Suspect arrested On Wednesday, police found and seized the wanted VW Polo at a panel beater workshop in Phoenix, Durban. The investigation first led the team to a lodge in Kew, Johannesburg, where two suspects had booked a room. ALSO READ: Public protector probe confirms inadequate GBV measures by justice department 'Further intelligence led them to KwaMashu in Durban to the home of one of the suspects. The suspects' vehicle was later found at this panel-beater workshop. Upon inspection by SAPS forensic experts, traces of blood were found inside the vehicle,' said Mathe. An elderly man believed to be the vehicle's owner has been arrested. Police are still searching for two men believed to have been directly involved in the murder of Olorato. Another woman killed This was not the only woman to have been killed and dumped this month. Gauteng police are also investigating a similar case after a 39-year-old woman was also found dumped in Catherine Street in Sandown, Sandton on 08 May 2025. Last week, police arrested a man who was targeting women on Facebook using a fake profile and identity. The 24-year-old man is still in custody and has already appeared before the Bolobedu Magistrate's Court on a charge of kidnapping and rape. He had lured a 28-year-old female to Limpopo under false pretenses and raped her repeatedly. She was later rescued by police at a filling station in Giyani. READ NEXT: SA's gender-based violence brigades confront femicide
Daily Maverick
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Unlike the fake ‘white genocide', Olorato Mongale's killing shows the real murder epidemic elicits a mere shrug
A country is defined not just by its Constitution or its flag, but by what it tolerates. And South Africa has tolerated gender-based violence for far too long. Less than two hours. That's how long it seems to have taken between the point when 30-year-old Olorato Mongale stepped out of her home in Johannesburg for a date, and the moment her dead body was discarded on the side of the road. Less than two hours. Olorato did everything right. She had reportedly already met the man she was going on a date with in person at least once, at a mall in Bloemfontein. She told her friends what she was doing. She gave them access to location tracking on her cellphone so that they could follow her movements. Olorato's friends did everything right. They kept a close eye on her location. Seemingly, as soon as they saw that she appeared to be entering a dodgy location, they sprang into action and began searching for her. It was Olorato's friends, rather than the police, who apparently found her bag and cellphone. 'Women are urged to always report their whereabouts to friends and family when meeting new friends or going out on dates,' the SAPS said in a statement reporting on Olorato's murder. But that's exactly what she did. It didn't save her. Olorato Mongale didn't die because she was reckless. She died because she was South African. An uncomfortable conversation We live in a country where the idea of a 'white genocide' has been flogged across international headlines, despite being a fiction with no statistical basis. Yet, the very real murder epidemic taking place — the unchecked and near-daily killing of women and girls — is met with a shrug from the state and a sigh from the public. While US President Donald Trump and his allies invent racial conspiracies for political mileage, one wonders what would have happened if Trump had instead looked Cyril Ramaphosa in the eye in the Oval Office and said: 'Mr. President, what are you doing about the thousands of women being raped and killed in your country?' What if instead of presenting Ramaphosa with printouts of violence happening on the other side of the African continent, Trump had ambushed him instead with the stories of Uyinene Mrwetyana, and Tshegofatso Pule, and Meghan Cremer, and Franziska Blochliger, and Jesse Hess, and, and, and… It would have been a much more uncomfortable conversation. Of course, for Trump to try to school Ramaphosa about gender-based violence (GBV) would be sickeningly hypocritical, given that Trump himself was found liable for rape in a May 2023 verdict, and given the 'horrible things' happening to women in Trump's America currently, including the dystopian case of a braindead Georgia woman being kept on life support against her own family's wishes because she happened to be nine weeks pregnant when she entered a vegetative state. But it would be interesting to know how Ramaphosa would have defended South Africa's world-beating femicide rates in the full glare of international media cameras. Imagine global media outlets framing South Africa not as a dystopia for white farmers, but as a danger zone for every woman and girl. The only reason farm murders trend is because there's a political constituency — both here and abroad — invested in using them as proof of racial persecution. But the mass killing of women? That's seen as too complicated. Too domestic. Too endemic, too deeply entrenched to be solved. The stats have been aired so often that we have become as desensitised to them as we are to most quotidian cases of rape and murder. Women here are five times more likely to be murdered by a partner than anywhere else globally. From October to December 2024 alone, 957 women were killed: an 8.6% increase from the same period the year before. That's more than 10 women a day. The home, the relationship, the bedroom: these are the killing fields of modern South Africa. The reality is that we tolerate GBV When news of Olorato Mongale's murder began to circulate on social media, the responses were heartbreakingly predictable. Anger. Grief. Attempts at victim-blaming, rapidly shut down by increasingly enraged, increasingly traumatised women. And then that all-too-familiar refrain: 'This is not who we are.' Except it is. A country is defined not just by its Constitution or its flag, but by what it tolerates. And South Africa has tolerated gender-based violence for far too long. We tolerate it when we tell women to stay home or take Ubers instead of telling men to stop killing. We tolerate it when police lose dockets, when survivors are laughed out of police stations, when rapists are released on bail. We tolerate it when politicians make promises with no follow-through, and when budget allocations for GBV services are slashed. Olorato Mongale was 30. In every photograph she exudes sweetness and beauty. She had a promising future. And now she will have a grave. If we really want to honour her — and the thousands of women like her — we need to stop accepting apologies and start demanding consequences. We need police reform, prosecutorial will, shelter funding, education programmes and cultural change. When news broke of Olorato's murder, Twitter user @Maletsemana posted: 'My location [on her cellphone] has been shared with family and friends since Uyinene [Mrwetyana, the UCT student murdered at a Claremont post office in 2019 after entering to collect a Shein order]. I was 18 when she passed, I'm about to be 24. Things have only gotten worse.' The women of South Africa are owed so much more than this twisted, brutal reality. DM
