Mongale Case: Main Suspect Die During Police Shootout

(The Post News)– The prime suspect in the murder case of Olorato Mongale, Philangenkosi Makhaya, has been shot dead during a police shootout in Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal.

It is believed that the suspect was hiding in a complex, and when the police arrived, he opened fire, which they returned, resulting in his death.

Meanwhile, on Thursday night, police reported that Makhanya’s parents had been arrested. This is because Makhanya’s father owns the VW Polo reportedly used in the crime, and his mother is suspected of attempting to tip off Makhanya to avoid arrest.

Mongale’s brutal murder , following a lunch date with a man she had just met at the mall, has once again cast a harsh light on South Africa’s escalating gender-based violence (GBV) crisis.

According to Dr Criselda Kannada, a family spokesperson, who told Metro FM that Mongale first met the man at a mall in Bloemfontein, Free State. After exchanging contact information, he proposed a lunch date, which he arranged to take place in Johannesburg. He then arrived to collect her in the afternoon of May 25, 2025, driving a white VW Polo, and specifically urged her to leave her own vehicle behind.

Exercising an understandable level of caution, Mongale and her friends had a strict agreement: she would send her location every 30 minutes, and if the updates stopped, they were to call immediately. This desperate measure was taken precisely because she was venturing out with someone she barely knew.

After the suspect collected Mongale from her Johannesburg complex, her friends’ agreed-upon 30-minute location updates stopped. Panic set in after two hours without contact. Using a ‘Find My iPhone’ application, Mongale’s friend, Thato Molongoana, noticed the phone in a ‘dodgy place’ in Kew, Johannesburg, and futilely attempted to reach her.

Following the live location and screenshotting its movements, Molongoana and another friend rushed to the indicated address in Kew. Denied entry, they quickly enlisted the help of Metro Police. While officers gained access, Olorato’s phone location surprisingly moved away from the initial property.

The friends and police then tracked the moving signal, which eventually led them to where Olorato’s bag, cellphone, and other personal belongings were found abandoned—a chilling discovery that offered no comfort without her presence.

Their worst fears were confirmed when Mongale’s body was later found brutally dumped in Lombardy, North Johannesburg. Investigations confirmed she had been severely beaten. Residents in Lombardy reported seeing a white VW Polo dropping a large suspicious parcel before fleeing the scene, a detail that would later be critical.

Following extensive investigations, officers identified a suspect’s house and proceeded to a panel beater’s workshop in Phoenix, where they recovered the white VW Polo linked to the crime.

The owner of the vehicle, identified as the father of one of the suspects currently on the run , has been taken into custody and is reportedly cooperating fully with authorities.

Initially, the police announced Fezile Ngubane and Makhanya as suspects and later added Bongani Mthimkhulu. Police had previously arrested Mthimkhulu and Makhanya for kidnapping and robbery. Shockingly, they had appeared in court on April 22nd and were granted bail on April 26th, just days before Olorato’s tragic death on May 25th. This raises serious questions about the judicial process and its role in protecting potential victims.

Mongale’s murder is a stark and painful reminder of the pervasive and devastating impact of gender-based violence in South Africa. story underscores the urgent need for increased vigilance, stronger protective measures, and swifter justice to prevent more lives from being senselessly lost .