True Crime South Africa

In 2022, Stefan van Niekerk ran into a community clinic and handed over a small bundle wrapped in a blanket to nurses. His claims of a terrible drowning accident were soon in question and the true horror of what had led to the death of 2-year-old Chevonne Rusch would begin to unravel like a nightmarish coil. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/...

In February 2000, the silence of a Western Cape farm is ripped apart by a mass murder. With seven people dead and three more injured, the perpetrator flees to the mountains of the Koue Bokkeveld and a community and several families will never be the same. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https://www.p...

This episode was first published in the Patreon feed in April 2023. When Elizabeth Martiens said goodbye to her father after the school holidays and headed home to her mom, no one had any idea that this would be their last goodbye. When Elizabeth doesn't make it home, eyes turn to the man she was last seen with - her father's employer - and some dark questions start to rise to the surface. (24-hr...

This episode was first published in the Patreon feed in December 2021. When a Dutch exchange student goes missing while in South Africa, her family, desperate for answers, pin their hopes on South African authorities to find their daughter. When they do, it will be in the worst possible circumstances, and a lifelong chameleon of crime will be unmasked. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support...

In 1997 amidst a surge of serial murder cases across the country, one man began hunting victims in Kroonstad. After very nearly getting away with it, an eagle-eyed cop would bring the series of murders to an end (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https://www.paypal.me/truecrimesa) Instagram · Pin...

Almost two decades after the horrendous double murder, the families are still dealing with the fallout of the crimes and unresolved grief. Then, a conversation in a prison cell changes everything. And just when the families think they may be able to move forward, more bombshells are dropped on their lives. This is part 2 of a two-part podcast series created in collaboration with KykNet around thei...

In 1966, in Odendalsrus, two 12-year-old cousins, Petro Nel and Issie Fourie, walked to the swimming pool to cool off. They were never seen alive again. As the horror in an abandoned building is discovered, the town and three of its families will never be the same. While police launch a massive manhunt for the killers, Issie’s teenage brother makes a vow to ensure she gets justice. It’s a promise...

This is a TCSA Rewind episode - designed to bring more attention to some of the back catalogue of episodes and provide updates in cases I've covered in the past. This episode was first released in May 2020. Listen through to the end for an update. On the 16th of December 2006, South Africa lost one of its brightest stars in the performing arts. Taliep Petersen was gunned down in what, at the time,...

This is me popping into your feed with some updates on a few project deadlines I'm juggling and news on what you can expect to see on TCSA in the next two months. Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter · LinkedIn

In 1985, a single night of unprovoked violence in a tiny fishing village on the West Coast would change the town forever. The man with the axe and his killing spree would become the stuff of legend in the town for decades. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https://www.paypal.me/truecrimesa) Instagram &...

A group of people, mostly ordinary South Africans, but also a few multimillionaires, woke up one morning in October 2023 to discover that an investment fund they'd counted on for an income for up to 22 years was a complete sham. Overnight, their monthly dividends became the spoils of a criminal scheme, and their lives and futures were changed forever. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support...

On a street in Springs, Gauteng, a barbershop sat among many other businesses. Besides being boldly painted there was little that set the property apart from all the others on the street. In 2017, a missing child and a police raid revealed that the bright signage masked a dark truth. The barbershop was far more than an innocuous small business. It was a shop of horrors. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-...

In 2004 in Inanda, KZN, a man lost his life, and two others were injured in an armed robbery of a vehicle. When an arrest was made the next morning, the victims likely heaved a sigh of relief, but for the arrestee, 16 years of horror lay ahead. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https://www.paypal.me/tr...

If you follow the podcast on social media, you’ll have seen me talking about True Crime South Africa taking part in an international event to raise awareness for charities all over the world. From the 15th of March until 21st of March podcasters all over the world are dedicated one episode in their feed to the Podcasthon. We got to select a charity we wanted to highlight, and I picked Rape Crisis...

When Lynette Volschenk failed to arrive for work, her colleagues were immediately concerned and went to her home. The young man they found in her apartment claimed he'd been hired by Lynette to clean and paint, but within 30 minutes, he was in handcuffs and a very different and terrifying story came to light. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com...

When a 3-year-old girl goes missing from her home, a desperate 9-day search ensues by police, her family and community. All manner of possibilities are considered, but the truth lies far closer to home than anyone would suspect. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https://www.paypal.me/truecrimesa) Insta...

When the people of Phoswa Village in Mpumalanga suddenly found themselves the targets of an armed serial predator in 1997, no one was sure who they could trust. Almost a year after the murders began, a task team was formed to hunt down the Saloon Killer, but the path to justice was littered with investigative challenges and the perpetrator took full advantage. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447)...

When Jaco Engelbrecht was found dead at his home, his wife was the first and only suspect. The trial, though, would not play out like any ordinary murder trial and the verdict and sentence would leave South Africa grappling with the definition of justice and to whom it should apply (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the s...

True Crime South Africa Specials focus in on one specific true crime topic taking listeners on a deep dive. This special focuses on Human Trafficking (Part 3/3) - What is it? Who and where are the victims? Who are the perpetrators? Listen to the first two parts of the series: Special: Human Trafficking Part 1 https://iono.fm/e/1444050 Special: Human Trafficking Part 2 https://iono.fm/e/1447458 Oth...

A retired man goes missing and his fiancé says he went golfing and never returned home. When his body is found in his vehicle, though, the evidence doesn't match the story, but police are stumped until someone just can't hold the truth in anymore. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https://www.paypal.me...

When a young couple move into a suburban townhouse complex, they quickly ingratiate themselves into the community. They seem like a lovely pair - ordinary, just living life like anyone else. What their neighbours don't know is that the pair have a dark past and an even darker future - one that they're all about to be pulled into. (This episode was first published in the Patreon feed in November 20...

When an unsuspecting motorist picks up a young couple who simply looks down on their luck, his life changes forever. When the couple, calling themselves Bonnie & Clyde, finally hand themselves over, the question remains, who really called the shots? (This episode was first published in the TCSA Exclusives Patreon Feed in July 2023) (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon...

Idea Candy and Showmax recently released a documentary film about one of South Africa's most notorious unresolved serial crimes. The Station Strangler explores the disappearance and subsequent murder of 22 boys from Mitchells Plein from the 1980s until a face was given to the terrifying phantom. With Norman Simons now out on parole for the single murder he was convicted of, this film uncovers the...

I don’t know about you, but I really love fiction and audio drama podcasts. It’s like a watching a movie, but with your ears. So, listening to a movie, I guess - but way better. And although South Africa’s podcast landscape has grown hugely in the last five years that I’ve been doing this, we haven’t yet ventured into fictionalised podcasts and that wait is over! South Africa’s first audio drama p...

26 year old Allison Plaatjies life is on an upward trajectory. She's just got her first full-time teaching post, her first car and she's living in her own flat. But there is one part of Allison's life that is not going as planned. Her ex-boyfriend refuses to leave her alone and soon, his obsession will turn deadly. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patre...