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South Africa
Country Intelligence Summary
38
June 18, 2026
Top Motives and Outcomes in South Africa
Top Motives
- Jealousy — 22 case(s)
- Control/domination — 18 case(s)
- Money / Financial Gain — 17 case(s)
- Revenge — 11 case(s)
- Eliminate romantic partner — 9 case(s)
Top Outcomes
- Arrest made — 36 case(s)
- Legal case ongoing — 30 case(s)
- Homicide during marriage — 26 case(s)
- Deadbody recovery — 15 case(s)
- Investigation still ongoing — 14 case(s)
State / Province Case Counts in South Africa
11 case(s)
6 case(s)
3 case(s)
3 case(s)
2 case(s)
2 case(s)
2 case(s)
1 case(s)
Cases in South Africa: Motive — Jealousy
Minenhle Lilitha Mjali Allegedly Murdered by James, Midrand, South Africa
Minenhle Lilitha Mjali, a 22-year-old woman from Midrand, South Africa, was allegedly assaulted and murdered by her boyfriend James and three of his friends. She was strangled, wrapped in plastic, and hidden under a bed …
State/Province: None | City/Region: Midrand | Incident Type: Murder | Date: April 18, 2026
View DetailsJocelyn Smith Disappearance Involving Kelly Smith, Jacken Butta-Apolis, and others, Saldanha Bay, Western Cape, South Africa
Jocelyn Smith, a 6-year-old girl from Saldanha Bay, South Africa, disappeared on February 19, 2024. Her mother, Kelly Smith, and her mother's boyfriend, Jacken Butta-Apolis, were the last known adults responsible for her. Both were …
State/Province: Western Cape, South Africa | City/Region: Saldanha Bay | Incident Type: Missing Person / Presumed Homicide | Date: Feb. 19, 2024
View DetailsJoshlyn Smith Disappearance Involving Kelly Smith, Jacquen Appollis, and others, Salana Bay, Western Cape, South Africa
Joshlyn Smith, a 6-year-old girl from Salana Bay near Cape Town, South Africa, disappeared under suspicious circumstances involving her mother Kelly Smith and her mother's boyfriend Jacquen Appollis. The child lived in neglectful conditions with …
State/Province: Western Cape, South Africa | City/Region: Salana Bay | Incident Type: Missing Person / Presumed Homicide | Date: Feb. 19, 2024
View DetailsAlber Mashego and Victoria Lebjane Murdered by Witness Monareng, Timber Mua, and others, Bushburg, South Africa
Sergeant Nyiko Nyathi, a policewoman, was arrested for allegedly orchestrating the murder of her husband Alber Mashego and his pregnant girlfriend Victoria Lebjane in February 2024. A group of men, hired by Nyathi, forcibly entered …
State/Province: Mpumalanga, South Africa | City/Region: Bushburg | Incident Type: Murder | Date: Feb. 5, 2024
View DetailsBusisiwe Ngubo Allegedly Murdered by Mbuyiseni Gema, Midlands, South Africa
Busisiwe Ngubo, a 36-year-old pregnant mother of triplets, was found strangled to death on the roadside near her home in Midlands, South Africa, on August 14, 2023. Her boyfriend, Mbuyiseni Gema, a 46-year-old police sergeant, …
State/Province: None | City/Region: Midlands | Incident Type: Murder | Date: Aug. 14, 2023
View DetailsSibusiso Sithebe Allegedly Murdered by L Mangu and Mangu, Sang, South Africa
Sibusiso Sithebe, a 32-year-old taxi driver and father of two, was murdered in an insurance scam involving his ex-girlfriend L Mangu and her husband Mangu. The couple lured Sithebe to their home under false pretenses, …
State/Province: None | City/Region: Sang | Incident Type: Murder | Date: Jan. 1, 2022
View DetailsTshepang Pitse Murdered by Flavio Cabangan, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Medical student Tshepang Pitse was in a secret romantic relationship with her cousin, Flavio Cabangan. The source describes a prolonged pattern of alleged isolation, financial control, threats, emotional abuse, and physical violence. After Tshepang left …
State/Province: Gauteng, South Africa | City/Region: Johannesburg | Incident Type: Murder | Date: Oct. 6, 2021
View DetailsAmanda Manku, Gladys Manku, and others Allegedly Murdered by William Manku, David COA, and others, Mong Village, Limpopo, South Africa
Amanda Manku's biological mother Gladys Manku and grandmother Lettie Maphothoma were brutally shot and killed outside their home in Mong Village, Limpopo, South Africa, on May 4, 2021. After a three-year investigation, police arrested Amanda's …
State/Province: Limpopo, South Africa | City/Region: Mong Village | Incident Type: Domestic Violence Homicide | Date: May 4, 2021
View DetailsCharl Hock and Marna Engelbrecht Allegedly Murdered by Xander, Koster, Northeastern, South Africa
On May 26, 2018, Charl Hock and her best friend Marna Engelbrecht, both 17-year-old students at a South African boarding school, were found dead in what initially appeared to be a double suicide but was …
State/Province: North West, South Africa | City/Region: Koster | Incident Type: Murder | Date: May 26, 2018
View DetailsCharl Hock and Marna Engelbrecht Allegedly Murdered by Xander, Dalareville, North Province, South Africa
On May 26, 2018, Charl Hock, 17, and her best friend Marna Engelbrecht were found dead in a boarding school dormitory in North Province, South Africa. Initially thought to be a double suicide, evidence and …
State/Province: North West, South Africa | City/Region: Dalareville | Incident Type: Domestic Violence Homicide | Date: May 26, 2018
View DetailsJacques du Plessis Allegedly Murdered by Mariska du Plessis, Henley on Klip, South Africa
On the night of June 23, 2017, Mariska du Plessis called police twice, first alleging her husband Jacques was attacking her and their son, then reporting he had been shot by intruders. Investigations revealed a …
State/Province: None | City/Region: Henley on Klip | Incident Type: Domestic Violence Homicide | Date: June 23, 2017
View DetailsThe murde of Brian Mudyiwayana by one man across the Western Cape in South Africa
Brian Mudyiwayana was convicted of murdering five women and one man across the Western Cape between 2016 and 2017. He used false promises of employment and relationships to gain trust, then controlled the narrative after …
State/Province: Western Cape, South Africa | City/Region: Swellendam | Incident Type: Murder | Date: Jan. 1, 2016
View DetailsReeva Steenkamp, Jane Steenkamp, and others Allegedly Murdered by Oscar Pistorius, Pretoria, South Africa
On Valentine's Day 2013, Reeva Steenkamp was fatally shot by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius in his home in Pretoria, South Africa. Pistorius claimed he mistook her for an intruder and fired four shots through a …
State/Province: None | City/Region: Pretoria | Incident Type: Domestic Violence Homicide | Date: Feb. 14, 2013
View DetailsReeva Steenkamp Allegedly Murdered by Oscar Pistorius, Pretoria, South Africa
Oscar Pistorius, a South African Paralympic athlete, was charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on February 14, 2013. The incident occurred at Pistorius's home in Pretoria. Pistorius claimed he mistook Steenkamp for …
State/Province: None | City/Region: Pretoria | Incident Type: Murder | Date: Feb. 14, 2013
View DetailsAndrea Venter Disappearance Involving Kot Jansen Fanfin, South Africa
According to the source, Andrea Venter dated Kot Jansen Fanfin before ending the relationship because of alleged physical and emotional abuse. She feared for her life, moved to a new apartment complex, began a new …
State/Province: None | City/Region: | Incident Type: Domestic Violence Homicide | Date: May 2, 2011
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