Case of five men accused of murdering Aserie Ndlovu, partner postponed

A fifth accused joined four men who have been charged with the kidnapping and murder of journalist Aserie Ndlovu and his partner Zodwa Mdhluli when they appeared in the KwaMhlanga magistrate's court on Friday.
'Four of the accused, Father Samuel Mogowe, Lucky Sikhosana, David Madisha and Sello Skhalo Uoane, previously abandoned their bail applications. They have now been joined by Thabang Isaac Hlophe, who is the fifth accused in the matter,' National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said.
All five are facing two counts of kidnapping and two counts of murder. The accused were arrested separately during an intelligence-driven operation by the police.
'Today's court appearance was for the formal joinder of Hlophe to the matter and a possible bail application on his behalf. However, the application did not proceed as Hlophe opted to appoint a private attorney to represent him,' Nyuswa said.
Ndlovu and Mdluli were last seen on February 18 and were reported missing shortly thereafter. Their remains were discovered three months later in Rust de Winter, along the Limpopo-Gauteng border.
DNA analysis confirmed the identities of the deceased. The accused have all been remanded.
The case was postponed until July 4 to allow Hlophe to secure legal representation.
TimesLIVE

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Herald

4 hours ago

• The Herald

Gqeberha woman, 65, kidnapped in Markman

A 65-year-old woman has been kidnapped in Gqeberha's Markman industrial node. Lindsay Knowlden arrived at work at the Markman Market fresh produce market at 6am on Saturday with her husband, when they were accosted by several assailants. Knowlden's son Greg said details were sketchy but it appeared that his father was attacked and the suspects seized his mother. "It seems all the attackers were armed. "My father was hit on the head and they kidnapped my mother." Greg said the family had not yet received any ransom demand. Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed the incident. "The SA Police Service [SAPS] confirms that an investigation into a kidnapping reported on June 21 in Markman is actively underway. "SAPS appeals to the public for any information related to this incident." The Herald

IOL News

5 hours ago

• IOL News

Tragic farewell: Slain journalist Sibusiso Aserie Ndlovu laid to rest on what would have been his 39th birthday

Journalist Aserie Ndlovu. Image: File In a heart-wrenching ceremony, family, friends and supporters gathered in Kwamhlanga, Mpumalanga, to bid farewell to acclaimed journalist Sibusiso Aserie Ndlovu, whose life was tragically cut short. Saturday, June 21 marks a poignant milestone, as it would have been his 39th birthday. Meanwhile, his partner, Zodwa Precious Mdhluli, was laid to rest on Friday, June 20. The couple, who went missing on February 18, 2025, had their bodies discovered in May, discarded in a secluded bush area in Rust de Winter, near the border of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Speaking to SABC at the funeral, Ndlovu's brother, Elvis Ndlovu, shared a moment of closure for the family, and said, "I can see my mother is also getting stronger; it's not like before. We have found closure knowing that we are laying him to rest." Speaking to mourners, a family member told mourners that one of the suspects, Samuel Mogongwe, frequently visited Ndlovu's home during the time the couple was still missing and kept asking whether they had been found," "I'm asking myself how he slept at night. He knew we were being investigated, I was also investigated. He never said anything. At least he could have returned them where he found them, and they would have been found sooner," she said. The woman spoke about how the alleged mastermind betrayed the family and left them with profound hurt since the passing of Ndlovu and his partner. "He has really hurt us; he was the mastermind; we won't be scared to speak. I ask myself how he embraced his wife knowing that he killed our children," she said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Mogonwe, 41, worked as a taxi driver for the couple and it's alleged that he wanted to steal their car and operate his own taxi business. His arrest followed an investigation that linked him to the couple's kidnapping through cellphone records Police believe the couple was abducted from their KwaMhlanga home, robbed, and later killed. A total of five suspects have been arrested and face charges of kidnapping, robbery, and double murder. IOL News Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.

The Herald

11 hours ago

• The Herald

Case of five men accused of murdering Aserie Ndlovu, partner postponed

A fifth accused joined four men who have been charged with the kidnapping and murder of journalist Aserie Ndlovu and his partner Zodwa Mdhluli when they appeared in the KwaMhlanga magistrate's court on Friday. 'Four of the accused, Father Samuel Mogowe, Lucky Sikhosana, David Madisha and Sello Skhalo Uoane, previously abandoned their bail applications. They have now been joined by Thabang Isaac Hlophe, who is the fifth accused in the matter,' National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said. All five are facing two counts of kidnapping and two counts of murder. The accused were arrested separately during an intelligence-driven operation by the police. 'Today's court appearance was for the formal joinder of Hlophe to the matter and a possible bail application on his behalf. However, the application did not proceed as Hlophe opted to appoint a private attorney to represent him,' Nyuswa said. Ndlovu and Mdluli were last seen on February 18 and were reported missing shortly thereafter. Their remains were discovered three months later in Rust de Winter, along the Limpopo-Gauteng border. DNA analysis confirmed the identities of the deceased. The accused have all been remanded. The case was postponed until July 4 to allow Hlophe to secure legal representation. TimesLIVE