Police intensify manhunt for suspect in journalist Olorato Mongale's murder

Police will not rest until another suspect in the murder of journalist Olorato Mongale is apprehended, said deputy police minister Dr Polly Boshielo.

The 30-year-old was killed on Sunday, May 25, after leaving her Johannesburg home to go on a date with her alleged killer.

Her body was found hours later in Lombardy West, Johannesburg, sparking a multi-provincial manhunt for the suspects.

Speaking at her funeral service held at City Hall in Bloemfontein on Sunday, June 1, Dr Boshielo called on the public and for those who know the suspect to urge him to hand himself over.

“We will also not rest until we find Bongani Mthimkhulu. If you know him, advise him to surrender to the nearest police station,” she said.

Dr Boshielo said the police are committed to combating gender-based violence and femicide.

“The fight against gender-based violence and femicide is a national priority for the South African Police Service, and it is for this very reason that maximum resources are always deployed to investigate GBVF cases and also track down gender-bases violence perpetrators,” Dr Boshielo said.

After learning of the case, police swiftly mobilised resources, including the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Team and the Gauteng Provincial Investigating Unit, to assist the Sandringham police station in tracking down the perpetrator known only as ‘John’.

The investigation led authorities to a lodge in Kew, Johannesburg, and subsequently to KwaZulu-Natal, where they discovered a white VW Polo vehicle with traces of blood. The car was at a workshop in Phoenix, north of Durban.

The vehicle was linked to Mr Philangenkosi Makhanya, who was identified as ‘John’.

On Friday morning, police located Mr Makhanya at a block of apartments in Amanzimtoti. When police announced their arrival, he opened fire, and officers returned fire, and he was killed in the shootout.

In Mr Makhanya’s possession, police found more than 27 ID smart cards belonging to various men and about 20 cellphones.

Dr Boshielo revealed that Mr Makhanya and his accomplice, Mr Mthimkhulu, operated a syndicate targeting women across various malls in the country.

“We are still searching for Bongani Mthimkhulu because we have narrowed our investigation and now know that Philangenkosi Makhanyaand and Bongani Mthimkhulu were working together and they were syndicate that was targeting women in various malls across the country,” she said.

The investigation has linked the duo to 22 cases of kidnapping and robbery, with women from across the country positively identifying them as the perpetrators.

Highlighting the broader impact of the syndicate’s activities, Dr Boshielo noted that similar cases have been reported in Bloemfontein, Nelspruit, Midrand, Pretoria, Potchefstroom, Lebowakgomo in Limpopo, and Johannesburg. Addressing the family at the funeral service, Dr. Boshielo reassured them of the government’s commitment to justice.

“To the family, to the mother Poppy, we may not have been able to prevent the death of your child but be rest assured that one of her perpetrators is in permanent custody and will never rise up again to terrorize other women,” she said adding that gender-based violence is a crime that happens behind closed doors.

"Let’s all stand together and work together to put a stop to gender-based violence in our country."

In a statement released on Saturday, May 31, police said the nation that Mr Fezile Ngubane who was initially identified as a suspect in a syndicate targeting young women has been cleared.

This came as Mr Ngubane’s father handed him over to the KwaMashu police station on Friday when he learned that his son was sought by police in the Mongalemurder case.

In a statement police said: “A multidisciplinary team led by the Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Crime Detection in Gauteng, Major General Mbuso Khumalo, the SAPS National Anti-kidnapping task team, KZN and Gauteng Provincial Investigating Unit (PIU) have now cleared Ngubane following a thorough interview and preliminary investigation.

According to a preliminary report, Mr Ngubane washes cars for a living and stays in the same neighbourhood as deceased Philangenkosi Makhanya.

Mr Makhanya allegedly identified Mr Ngubane as a soft target and took his ID smart card and used it to Rica SIM cards that Mr Makhanya would use to commit his long list of kidnapping and robbery crimes.

Mr Ngubane’s ID was found as part of the 27 ID smartcards in possession of Mr Makhanya.

The SAPS has also released the parents of one of the two suspects in thecase after their statements were taken down. Police are sitting with atleast twenty cases where women have come forward identifying thesuspects as those that kidnapped and robbed them.