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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: Outcome — Investigation still ongoing
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 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 DetailsNadine To Blanch and Ruandre Forer Allegedly Murdered by Freddie Stapelberg and Pardon Danhier, Alberton, Gauteng, South Africa
On 2023-11-27, Nadine To Blanch, 32, and her nine-year-old son Ruandre Forer were found dead in their Alberton home. Nadine was reportedly strangled and suffered a severe sharp-force head wound, while Ruandre was reportedly suffocated …
State/Province: Gauteng, South Africa | City/Region: Alberton | Incident Type: Family Homicide | Date: Nov. 27, 2023
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 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 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 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 DetailsMukozi Makabozi, Naksulo Mapande, and others Disappearance Involving Tozamil Taki, Amzinto, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
According to the source, 13 young women disappeared in 2007 after allegedly meeting Tozamil Taki, who promised them factory employment. Their bodies were later found in sugarcane and tea fields around Amzinto and Port St. …
State/Province: KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | City/Region: Amzinto | Incident Type: Murder | Date: Sept. 1, 2007
View DetailsElizabeth Martins Disappearance Involving Pit Buhertus and Senette Buhertus, Liu Kama, Western Cape, South Africa
Elizabeth Martins, an 11-year-old girl described as shy and close to her mother, disappeared after being last seen with Pit Buhertus, her father's employer and a local farmer in Liu Kama, Western Cape. Pit Buhertus …
State/Province: Western Cape, South Africa | City/Region: Liu Kama | Incident Type: Murder | Date: April 13, 2007
View DetailsNamhla Mtwa and Sanga Nozintathu Mtwa Allegedly Murdered by Mijaisul, Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Namhla Mtwa, a 35-year-old municipal employee from Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa, was shot multiple times inside her car in April 2022. Her relationship with Mijaisul, a businessman from Tata, was reportedly abusive mentally, physically, …
State/Province: Eastern Cape, South Africa | City/Region: Gqeberha | Incident Type: Murder | Date: None
View DetailsGabriela Kabrins Alban Allegedly Murdered by Diego Nolla, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Gabriela Kabrins Alban, a US citizen, was murdered by Diego Nolla, a Guatemalan citizen, in Cape Town, South Africa. They met at university in 2000, had a tumultuous relationship with substance abuse issues, and reconnected …
State/Province: Western Cape, South Africa | City/Region: Cape Town | Incident Type: Murder | Date: None
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