True Crime South Africa

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...

In today's episode I have the incredible pleasure of chatting with one of the world's most successful crime fiction writers, Deon Meyer. Meyer's books have enthralled and captivated readers in South Africa for decades and our conversation reveals how that often entails getting closer to real crime than one might think. This interview was first published on Jonathan Ball's Pagecast podcast. To hear...

Today I’m popping into your feed to introduce you to a podcast I love. Something Shifted is created and hosted by Sean Loots who is an incredible human and someone I’m very honoured to know. I already know you appreciate real life stories and true crime listeners often also listen to other stories of survival and big life events, so I have no doubt you’re going to love Something Shifted as much as...

Between 2015 and 2018, retirement homes in Gauteng and Mpumalanga became the scenes of horrific murders. Some of the most vulnerable members of society were being targeted and the clock was running down for police to make an arrest before another woman was killed (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https...

When a woman arrives at the home of a rural plot owner begging for assistance to take her own life, a tale of filicide unfolds unlike anything seen in South African courts before. Did a combination of medication result in the death of two young children? Or was the motive much less complicated than that? (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/true...

Today, I’m happy to bring you a sneak preview of the first episode of When Change Happens, a podcast series about ordinary South Africans coping with extraordinary changes in their lives, and hosted by legendary journalist Ruda Landman. To hear the rest subscribe to When Change Happens on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Iono or go to www.changepodcasts.co za for more information. In this episode of Wh...

From 2014, a serial predator had been roaming the suburbs of Tshwane. His modus operandi was so well thought-out that for five years he remained undetected. Then, a detective with a personal mission driving her singular professional focus is assigned to the case, and soon the predator has nowhere left to run (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/...

Each year, countries across the world submit their most memorable and groundbreaking forensic DNA success stories for the DNA Hit of the Year. In this bonus episode, brought to you by the lovely folk at Solal, you'll hear about the six finalists. These are cases that will blow your mind with the power of DNA! Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter ·...

Alberto Costa was sure that he had done everything he could to secure his home on a farm in Stellenbosch, but there was a group of men living nearby who had decided they wanted what was in his house, and they were not going to let anything stand in their way. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https://w...

When medical student Tshepang Pitse suddenly stops answering her dad's calls and messages he presumes his daughter is deep in her studies, but when a horrific discovery is made in her boyfriend's freezer, a terrible tale of abuse and manipulation spills out. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https://ww...

A young woman delivers her baby boy at home one month before his due date. As neighbours gather to help, accusations begin to fly and soon Nolubabalo Nomsuka is swept up in a torrent of lies and assumptions that will change her life forever. (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/truec...

When a family is attacked by a stranger in their home, three of their members are shot and struck with an axe. As police quickly arrest one bloodied fleeing perpetrator another remains unaccounted for - but he's closer than anyone thinks. (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/truecrim...