By Sonia Motaung
A day after Olorato Mongale’s funeral I am seated at her mom’s house with few family members and friends and majority of people have left to go on with their lives,a testament to a saying that “life goes on”
The headlines are no longer in your face and life is back to normal for everyone but the mother who has to pick up the pieces and start living her life without her only child.
The death of Olorato highlighted the scourge of abuse in the hands of men in SA being it a partner or a stranger,it also highlighted that all preventative measures are of no use if someone is intent on harming you.
Last month Olorato Mongale stepped out of her home for what was meant to be a simple date. She climbed into a white VW Polo Vivo parked outside, unaware that the vehicle bore false number plates and that this would be the last time anyone would see her alive.
Later as in like three hours after her getting in the car, her lifeless body was discovered in Lombardy East, a quiet suburb north of Johannesburg. The nation was left shaken once more, confronted with the brutal loss of another young woman in a country already scarred by an epidemic of gender-based violence.
Born in the year that South Africa had their first democratic elections Olorato was a beacon of intellect and ambition. A graduate of Rhodes University with a Bachelor of Journalism, she was also a Golden Key Honours Society member, a recognition reserved for top academic achievers. Her thirst for knowledge took her across borders; she earned a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and spent time in Daegu, South Korea, as an educator.
Back home, Olorato’s passion for communication found its place in both public service and media. She served as a radio presenter at Motheo FM and later worked as a communications officer in the Free State Department of Economic Development. At the time of her death, she was pursuing a Master’s in ICT Policy and Regulation at Wits University, focusing on digital equity and infrastructure.
“She was smart, driven, and compassionate,” said a former lecturer at Rhodes. “She was the kind of student you never forget.”
Olorato arranged to meet someone for a date,a person she has been chatting to and has met before. CCTV footage later showed her entering a white VW Polo Vivo. That car, police say, had false license plates, a calculated deception used to lure unsuspecting women.
Her handbag, phone, and wallet were found abandoned and that on its own being an ominous sign.
Investigators traced her digital footprint and cross-referenced data, eventually locating the suspect vehicle in Phoenix, Durban with traces of blood in it.
An elderly man was arrested in connection with the vehicle. Police moved in on another suspect, 27-year-old Philangenkosi Sibongokuhle Makhanya, in Amanzimtoti who ended up killed in a shootout.
Police alluded to the fact that Makhanya and accomplices may have been involved in a broader network of abductions targeting young women. The same vehicle is believed to have been used in other similar crimes. A third suspect, Bongani Mthimkhulu, remains at large.
Another man, Fezile Ngubane, was initially detained but later cleared of involvement.
Investigators now suspect the crime was not random but part of a calculated pattern of using social engineering and digital platforms to lure victims.
For many, Olorato ’s story echoes a painful familiarity. From Uyinene Mrwetyana to Tshegofatso Pule, South African women continue to fall victims to the scourge of GBV, often at the hands of men they know or think they know.
Olorato had even covered some of these cases as a journalist, notably Karabo Mokoena’s murder, now tragically, her name joins the list.
Olorato Mongale’s story is not just a tragedy, it is a mirror reflecting our national crisis. Her death has reignited urgent questions about women’s safety, accountability, and the slow grind of justice.
But perhaps the most powerful tribute to Olorato would be not only to remember her name but to ensure that fewer names follow hers.
