Latest news with #Zodwa
News24
14-05-2025
- News24
Missing journalist's stepson believes human remains found are his parents
After months of searching for his missing parents, he has been overwhelmed with anxiety and fear following the discovery of human remains, which authorities believe may belong to them. Treasure Mdluli (30) who is the son of Zodwa who went missing with journalist Sibusiso Ndlovu believes that the human remains discovered by the police belong to his mother and her partner. He told Drum Magazine that DNA samples were drawn from him on Friday morning and he is anxiously waiting for the results. 'There is a high chance that these are my parents, who have been found. The police did however, promise me that they would speed up the process because there is a backlog for obtaining DNA results,' said Treasure. He explained that this has been a hard time for their family and no one is taking the news well. 'I honestly don't know how I've managed to go about my days without losing my mind, especially when we were still clueless and continuously searching with no breakthroughs. We are a bit relieved that we are now getting answers but it doesn't make our burden any lighter and comes with a lot of pain,' said a distraught Treasure. Treasure recalled the last moments he spent with his parents and described them as jolly and full of love. 'I last saw them on the Sunday before they went missing on Tuesday. I was set to drive back from their place to Joburg but they asked me to spend one more night with them, so I slept over. We chatted until late and then went to bed. The next morning I drove my mother to work and then I left town. I last spoke to her on the morning of the Tuesday they went missing,'he said. The spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa said that court proceedings were postponed due to one of the suspects falling ill on Friday Morning. Nyuswa said the suspect had to be rushed to a medical center which brought the court case to a standstill. Adding that although the expectation was that five suspects would be on the dock, only the two ( Samuel Mogongwe and his co-accused, Lucky Sikhosana) that are facing kidnapping charges appeared. 'The pair that appeared today has been linked by cellphone data to the last location of the missing couple.' 'Just to clarify the three other suspects that were charged with possession of stolen property will appear later this month, bearing in mind that one of them is a minor and is likely to appear separately.' Nyuswa said the matter was postponed to the 19th of May 2025, and investigations are continuing.
TimesLIVE
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Three designers rewriting SA men's wear
South African Menswear Week (SAMW) AW25 arrives as a decisive declaration: men's wear on the continent is evolving — and fast. Three rising designers — Michael Ludwig, Ezokhetho and Siyababa Atelier — are reshaping the space between streetwear, tailoring and cultural testimony. Their collections speak to memory, identity and the unapologetic act of becoming. Michael Ludwig Studio: The architecture of blooming 'Abundant Anthesis reminds us that the process of growth and self-discovery is what truly matters,' says Michael Ludwig Hittinger, creative director of Michael Ludwig Studio Inspired by the indigenous Black Orchid, Michael Ludwig's Abundant Anthesis is a study in duality and internal transformation. The collection honours 'blooming within oneself and for oneself', balancing structure with softness, formality with fluidity. The Tweed Calyx Wrap Skirt flares like an opening petal, paired with a cropped jacket and Matisse-inspired white denim embroidered in crimson — encapsulating floral anatomy. Ludwig's Motif Denim Suit in ivory and red embroidery is a harmonious union of natural inspiration and sharp tailoring that resists traditional gender codes. Ezokhetho: Love, loss, and legacy ' Zodwa is a tribute to love that endures, even in absence,' Mpumelelo Dhlamini, founder and creative director of Ezokhetho, says. Where Ludwig looks inward, Ezokhetho looks backwards — not in nostalgia, but in reverent remembrance. Zodwa is named after the affectionate nickname the designer's father gave his mother and emerges as a textured love letter to black South African partnerships during the 1980s and 1990s. It's the label's first men's wear collection and its most emotionally charged collection yet. Tailored pink pinstripe short suits sit beside jagged-panel slip dresses in vibrant animal print, echoing an era of post-apartheid optimism. A voluminous pink, jacquard dress with balloon sleeves and yellow trim channels Sunday best with an elegiac twist. Most memorable is a power suit in shimmering patchwork, worn seated and styled with confidence — a regal stance that speaks to legacy, glamour and memory. Siyababa Atelier: When grief wears colour 'This isn't about mourning in silence. It's a celebration of life, love and legacy,' says Siyabonga Mtshali, founder and creative force behind Siyababa Atelier. With Siyazila — which translates to We Are Grieving — Siyababa Atelier returns to SAMW with a collection that transforms personal loss into vivid, wearable memory. Dedicated to founder Mtshali's late sister Nontobeko Mtshali, this body of work doesn't shy away from pain — it channels it into power. The collection builds emotionally and visually. Before Siyazila, Mtshali introduced garments that explored disorder and transition: grid-printed co-ordinates, painterly tailoring and lace against structured silhouettes. These were statement pieces and signals of emotional turbulence, of a designer laying the groundwork for something deeper. Then Siyazila emerges, unapologetically bold. Sculpted, leopard-print pieces twist around the body with intent, revealing metallic lace and bare skin. Zebra-striped hoods and draped silhouettes speak in the language of ritual — garments not just worn but inhabited. The use of colour and texture is assertive, drawing grief into sharp focus and refusing to let it be backgrounded. This season Mtshali collaborated with visual artist Zandile Tshabalala to create a custom garment that merges the brand's expressive silhouette with Tshabalala's signature painted language. Likkyliks, an experimental musician and artist, brought sonic texture to the collection, transforming its emotional moodboard into a soundscape. The installation's video component, shown at SAMW, was directed by Retang Sebeka, whose lens layered the garments with narrative resonance. These collaborations extend Siyazila beyond fashion and into a multisensory meditation on mourning and memory. It's a diaristic body of work: sharp, intimate and impossible to ignore. Mtshali doesn't design grief as absence — he designs it as presence. The future is now While global fashion wrings its hands over algorithmic designers and shareholder-safe choices, South Africa's emerging voices are doing something else entirely: they're making work rooted in truth, not trends. Michael Ludwig speaks to internal blossoming, Ezokhetho honours enduring love in the face of grief and Siyababa Atelier turns mourning into modern mythology. Together, they represent a future of fashion that doesn't ask for permission — it simply begins.
Daily Maverick
09-05-2025
- Daily Maverick
Police discover bodies believed to be those of missing journalist and his partner
Police have uncovered the remains of what they believe to be Pretoria journalist Sibusiso Aserie Ndlovu and his partner Zodwa Precious Mdhluli, who mysteriously vanished on 18 February 2025. The discovery of the bodies follows the arrest of five suspects on Sunday, 4 May, who had been linked to the disappearance of the couple. Police Commissioner Major General Fannie Masemola said one of the suspects had pointed out an area where a police search discovered human remains. The remains were found next to each other in a thicket outside Rust De Winter in Limpopo, nearly 72km from where the couple was last seen nearly three months ago, on 18 February 2025. Masemola confirmed the grisly find on the boundary of Gauteng and Limpopo. 'Whether it's them or not, we are not sure. But we will do the necessary processes in terms of DNA … to check whether it's them or not.' Daily Maverick reported this week that police found parts belonging to Ndlovu's car in some of the suspects' vehicles. Furniture and other household appliances which had been stolen at the Ndlovus' house during a break-in were also recovered from the suspects. Two of the suspects, Samuel Mogongwe, 41, and Lucky Michael Sikhosana, 40, appeared in the Kwa Mhlanga Magistrates' court on kidnapping charges on Wednesday, 7 May. A suspect also appeared in a Pretoria court, but the matter was transferred to Kwa Mhlanga. The South African Police Service told Daily Maverick on 24 April that the search and investigation had been escalated to the provincial head office and the docket assigned to a senior investigating officer. Masemola confirmed to the media that forensic experts would conduct rigorous testing to establish the identities of the remains. Reward doubled Last week, the African Media and Communicators Forum (AMCF) and the National Press Club (NPC), which had offered a reward in exchange for information that could lead to the couple's whereabouts, increased the reward from R50,000 to R100,000. The organisations expressed their sadness and shock on Thursday, 8 May. 'We would like to thank the South African Police Service, the leadership and each and every member of the force that assisted in this search for the couple. We are devastated. We are devastated,' the organisations said in a statement. 'Thanks to all the colleagues who assisted with keeping the search on the agenda. We were unable to bring them back home alive, but at least the families can get closure, and we can bury them with dignity. Our deepest sympathy to Zodwa and Aserie's family and friends and colleagues. We will follow the court process closely. The law must now take its course.' Family and friends distraught Daily Maverick approached several family members and friends, but most were in no state to speak. Bongi Mokoena, Zodwa's best friend, cried bitterly on the phone for several minutes until her mother (whose full name we could not ascertain) took over the call. Mokoena's mother, too, was emotional, but managed to communicate. 'We are all devastated,' Mokoena's mother said. 'Where do the people who commit murders in this country come from?' she asked. She said her daughter was preparing to head for Kwa Mhlanga to follow the court case. Mokoena's mother said Mdhluli 'was so free. When she saw me, she saw her own mother.' 'Zodwa was a decent person. She was a very nice person. She was a loving mother and also loved her family a lot. She was just a loving person. When she went to the shops, she would bring food, but would also bring a lot more for the children,' she said. Speaking to the media on Thursday afternoon, Deputy National Police Commissioner Major General Shadrack Sibiya said the accused who had pointed out where the remains might be could not remember the specific spot where they had disposed of the bodies. 'They dumped the bodies at night and could not specifically remember where. Police had to comb the entire area, and that's when we found the remains,' Sibiya said. DM
