True Crime South Africa

In 2004, Flippie Venter was on a peacekeeping mission in Burundi with the SANDF when he was arrested for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old child sex worker. While out on bail and awaiting trial for this crime, he grew concerned that his family would cut ties with him if he were to be found guilty. He picked up an R4 rifle and made the decision for them (24-hour trauma line: 082-821-3447) (Patre...

Siphesihle Dlamini was 3 years old when she was snatched from within metres of her mother and surrounded by an entire church congregation. Today's Spotlight minisode is dedicated to the ongoing search for Siphesihle. (Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Paypal: paypal.me/truecrimesa) (CIC 24-hour trauma centre: 082-821-3447) Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTub...

On the 10th of February 2006, 22-year-old Marlene Mauer left home for her first day of work at a new job. She never came home. Her murderer would be sentenced to 17 years in jail but that wasn't the end of Marlene's story. In December 2019, Marlene's mother would receive a Facebook message that imploded what was left of her world. (24-hour trauma helpline: 082-821-3447). Support the show for just...

Today's minisode covers an Australian case with a South African link. We dedicate this episode to the human and animal victims of Australia's wildfires. For more information about how you can help, visit (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/07/australia-fires-how-to-help-donate-victims-animals/2832145001/) Support the Show for just R 15 · Instagram · Pinterest ·...

When Ina Bonnette met Johan Kotze she thought she had found the man of her dreams. Those dreams would soon turn into a nightmare she could never escape from when the true Johan Kotze showed his face resulting in one of the most sadistic cases of domestic violence and murder that South Africa has ever seen. (24-hour trauma helpline: 082-821-3447). Support the Show for just R 15 · Instagram &...

In today's minisode we discuss two disturbing, recent "no body"murder convictions. There's an update from Episode 13 - The Samurai Killer and then we get a little more light-hearted with a round up of South Africa's dumbest criminals for the last decade. (Community Intervention Centre - 24-hour trauma line 082-821-3447) Support the Show · Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook &midd...

In 1932 Daisy de Melker was executed after being found guilty of murdering her son. This crime just scratched the surface of what she had done, though. The specter of Daisy de Melker still hangs over South Africa, a century later, as the epitome of a cold-blooded killer. (Support the show for just R 15: https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Community Intervention Centre 24-hour trauma helpline 082...

On the 9th of July 2004, 21-year-old Leigh Matthews was abducted from outside her university. Her kidnapper soon made contact and initiated an emotional roller coaster for her parents which would end with tragic results. Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter · LinkedIn

In 1997, the man who had been hunting young couples at Wemmer Pan for a year was arrested. There was another maniac stalking the streets of Johannesburg though, attacking and killing tailors with a hammer. Police would soon discover that the Wemmer Pan serial killer was actually also the Hammer Killer and there were many more horrendous crimes to be added to his list. Cedric Maake rewrote the text...

On the 20th of May 2014, 17 police officers and three social workers pulled up outside a double-storey house in a busy road in Springs on the East Rand of Gauteng. They’d received a complaint regarding a child at risk within the house. What they would discover beyond the seemingly, normal façade of this family home disturbed even seasoned child protection officers. (24-hour Trauma Helpline: 082-82...

The annual commemoration of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence began on the 25th of November and runs until the 10th of December. This week True Crime South Africa dedicates its Spotlight minisode to crimes of this nature (24-hour Trauma Helpline: 082-821-3447) (Listener Voice Notes by Whatsapp: 060-758-9950) Brew Crime Podcast · Cargumentative Podcast · Instagram &mid...

On Monday, the 18th of August 2008, 18-year-old Morné Harmse arrived at his school in Krugersdorp. Armed with three swords and replica masks resembling those worn by heavy metal band, Slipknot, he went on a rampage taking one innocent life and seriously wounding three other people. The investigation into the horrendous act would reveal possible links to Satanism, an unstable home life and accusati...

This week in True Crime South Africa’s Spotlight minisode we reveal the details behind a 12-year-old cold case that was recently solved through the hard work of a dedicated detective and a slam-dunk DNA match. Body part discoveries were another hot topic in true crime news this week with a skull being uncovered at a building site in Rustenburg and police divers scouring Durban harbour for a severe...

In 1995 a serial killer prowled the streets of Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal. He would take the lives of two teenage girls and leave two other young women traumatised before seemingly disappearing into thin air. (Community Intervention Centre (24-hour Trauma Helpline 082-821-3447) Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter · LinkedIn

In this week's Spotlight minisode: Is Sean Kelly - the alleged hammer murderer from Sedgefield - involved in the disappearance of Marie Ostbo? We also discuss updates on South African murderer in Alaska, Brian Smith and progress on the case of missing 8-year-old, Amahle Thabethe. (24-hour trauma helpline 082-821-3447) Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter...

In 2003, Wesley Julyan was 18-years-old when he was convicted of the murder of Kenneth van Aardt. He and his accomplice had strangled the man with a shoelace, walking away from their horrendous crime with just R 70. Julyan was sentenced to 13 years in prison which was eventually increased to 20 years on appeal. He was paroled in 2009 after having served just 5 years of his sentence. Eight years la...

In this week's spotlight minisode we discuss a South African killer in Alaska who filmed his crime as well as the murder of a young mother who was viciously stabbed to death while on holiday. (24-hour trauma helpline: 082-821-3447) Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter · LinkedIn

In March 2005, Carol Thompson received the news that no mother should ever have to hear. The body of her 24-year-old daughter Tracey, who had been missing for a week, had been found on a piece of agricultural land just outside Benoni. While that call ended all hope for her safe return and the life that their family had lived together, it started another journey for Carol. She would soon discover t...

In 1996, Moses Sithole was sentenced to 2410 years in prison for a prolific series of murders. The mind of a man who could commit such atrocities has been a fascination to professionals and the public alike. Many journalists attempted to interview him and Moses was not short of prospective pen pals – well-meaning individuals who were interested in communicating with him in the hopes that they coul...

Moses Sithole has the highest body count of any convicted serial killer in South Africa. For two years in the 1990s, he terrorised the women of Atteridgeville, Boksburg and Cleveland earning him the moniker of the ABC Killer. Community Intervention Centre (24-hour Trauma helpline: 082 821 3447); see www.truecrimesouthafrica.com for a list of our sources Instagram · Pinterest · Facebo...

In September 2018, South Africa woke up to the horrifying news that a 7-year-old girl had been raped in the toilets of a restaurant in Pretoria. The outrage was fuelled by video footage taken by a bystander of the offender being confronted. A year later, September 2019 saw the man accused go to trial. In this week’s minisode, True Crime South Africa discusses the case, the offender’s trial and the...

In 1949, 18-year-old Jacoba Schroeder had been drawn to the bright lights of Johannesburg in the hopes that she could pull herself out of poverty and cast aside the shackles of her social class. Sadly, Jacoba was looking for a knight in shining armour in the wrong place and she instead found herself in a situation beyond her control. The discovery of her body in Birdhaven Plantation sparked an inv...

In this week’s True Crime South Africa Spotlight minisode we discuss the scourge of gender-based violence and do a deep dive into some interesting information that emerged during the pre-sentencing hearing of the last three Electus per Deus members. Zak Valentine, Cecilia Steyn and Marcel Steyn were found guilty of a range of charges emanating from a murder, robbery and fraud spree between 2012 an...

On the 22nd of September 2013 the badly decomposed body of a man was found in the boot of a car at Monte Casino in Fourways, South Africa. The investigation that followed would take police into the seedy underworld of sex work, drugs, fraud and trust betrayed. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/330149601029933/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrueCrimeSA1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t...

The TCSA:Spotlight minisodes cover true crime cases that are in the South African media right now and updates on previous episodes. This week we have updates on the Krugersdorp Killers case, a statement from the One Strong Voice Foundation on the Amahle Thabethe case and a discussion on the tragic murder of Meghan Cremer. Amazon Affiliate Link to purchase Zephany: Two Mothers, One Daughter: https:...