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Two of the three suspects were already in the police system before being linked to Olorato Mongale's death.
Olorato Mongale. Picture: X
The South African Police Service (Saps) has revealed that hundreds of young women have contacted authorities with information about two suspects who were previously arrested on separate charges before being linked to Olorato Mongale’s death.
This follows the recent addition of a third suspect to the murder case of the 30-year-old student.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that Bongani Mthimkhulu, a friend of one of the primary suspects, is now wanted in connection with Mongale’s murder.
The development comes as investigators have made significant breakthroughs in KwaZulu-Natal.
They recovered the car allegedly used in the crime and arrested an elderly man believed to be connected to the case.
Watch: Saps update on Olorato Mongale’s murder case
Previous arrests of Mongale’s alleged killers
Two of the three suspects were already in the police system before being linked to Mongale’s death.
Mathe revealed that Bongani Mthimkhulu and Phila Makhanya were arrested last month, on 20 April, on charges of kidnapping and robbery in the Brockbunny area.
The officer discovered the suspects had just kidnapped and robbed a woman, using the same VW Polo that would later become central to the Mongale murder investigation.
Both suspects appeared in court on 22 April and were granted bail on 26 April, remaining free while police began linking them to additional crimes.
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Hundreds of women contact police
Since authorities released contact information for Brigadier Nama, who is handling the case, the public has responded in large numbers.
Mathe described how hundreds of women have come forward with information about encounters with the suspects.
“Since issuing this number, hundreds of ladies are calling. A lot of women are calling and giving out information on how they met, particularly Bongani Mthimkhulu and Phila Makhanya, on several occasions,” she said.
The women’s testimonies revealed a consistent pattern of criminal behaviour.
“What they are relaying to us is that they are utilising the same modus operandi. They meet them in malls. They propose to them, ask them out on dates. And when they agree, they rob them and so on,” Mathe explained.
The scope of the suspects’ alleged activities extends far beyond Johannesburg, with reports emerging from multiple regions across the country.
“We have people calling as far as the Northern Cape, [some] calling as far as the Free State. We have people calling in Gauteng [who] are saying that we have been approached by these suspects that you are looking for,” Mathe noted.
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Multidisciplinary investigation leads to breakthrough
Police assembled a comprehensive task force immediately after receiving the Mongale case on Sunday.
The team included the Crime Intelligence Unit, the Saps Anti-Kidnapping Task Team, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, the Durban Metro K9 Unit, and the Gauteng Provincial Investigating Unit.
The investigation team traced the suspects’ movements following the alleged murder. It was found that they had booked a room at a lodge in Kew, Johannesburg, but never used it.
“We know that after the incident, after allegedly murdering Olorato and dumping her body in Lombardy West, they then drove back to KwaZulu-Natal,” Mathe said.
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Vehicle recovery and forensic evidence
Following information that the suspects might be hiding in Guamachu, KZN, where they originated, the investigation team travelled to the province on Wednesday morning.
Their efforts led to the identification of one suspect’s house. This subsequently led to the discovery of the wanted VW Polo at a panel beating workshop in Phoenix.
“The team immediately mobilised our forensic science experts, our forensic experts, to start working on this particular vehicle. And that is when they made the discovery that there were traces of blood inside this polo,” Mathe revealed.
Forensic analysis confirmed the vehicle’s connection to the crime.
“When we compare the VW Polo that we have been looking for to the one that has been found, it has been positively identified as the Polo that was used in the commission of the crime, particularly [in] the murder case,” she said.
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Owner of car used in alleged murder in custody
The registered owner of the VW Polo, identified as the father of one of the suspects still at large, has been taken into police custody. Mathe confirmed he is cooperating with the investigation.
“At the stage, the owner of the vehicle is the father of one of the suspects [who] is on the run. He [the owner of the car] is in police custody. He is cooperating. And our teams are busy with him, interviewing him, raising the concerns that it is his vehicle. The vehicle is under his name. So he needs to account as to where his vehicle has been,” she explained.
Investigators are questioning whether the vehicle owner was aware of his car’s involvement in serious crimes.
The investigation into Olorato’s death and the manhunt for the three suspects is underway.
Mathe encouraged more women to come forward with information about their experiences with the suspects.
The suspects in the murder case remain at large.
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