Olorato murder: Cops reveal shocking details
TWO MURDER suspects were previously arrested in April on kidnapping and robbery charges but later released on bail, police revealed yesterday.
Bongani Mthimkhulu and Philangenkosi Makhanya, now at the centre of a manhunt, were nabbed on 24 April 2025 in the Brakpan area.
Their arrest came after a sharp-eyed police officer, while on routine patrol, stopped a suspicious VW Polo, the same vehicle linked to Olorato Mongale’s murder case.
Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, 29 May, National Police spokeswoman Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed their prior arrest and detailed how they were caught.
“We do have a case where we had arrested two of the three suspects that we are looking for. On the 22nd of April 2025, we arrested Bongani Mthimkhulu as well as Phila Makhanya on a charge of kidnapping and robbery in the Brakpan area, where a vigilant police officer was conducting his regular patrols and came across a suspicious-looking vehicle, a VW Polo, the same VW Polo in question, and when he confronted the suspects he found that they had just kidnapped a woman and robbed her,” Mathe said.
Brigadier Mathe said the pair was swiftly arrested and appeared in court shortly afterward.
“We immediately placed these two suspects under arrest. On the 22nd of April, they appeared in court on a charge of kidnapping and robbery, and on the 26th of April they got bail. They are currently out on bail,” she said.
Authorities now believe that Mthimkhulu and Makhanya are part of a larger criminal gang that targets women, particularly in shopping malls.
“We do officially confirm that we are investigating a syndicate. We do believe that we have broken the back of a syndicate that is targeting women, especially young women. They propose to these young women in malls, request to take them out on dates, and when they agree, that is when they plan to rob them,” said Mathe.
The duo, along with a third suspect, Fezile Ngubane, are currently on the run.
All three are wanted in connection with the murder of 30-year-old Olorato Mongale, whose body was found in Lombardy, near Alexandra, on 25 May 2025.
