TimesLIVE Podcasts True Crime South Africa

True Crime South Africa

True Crime South Africa is the first victim-focused true-crime podcast in the country.

Host, Nicole Engelbrecht, researches each case herself using media coverage, trial footage, social media sources and often by talking to some of the individuals involved. Using her skills as a creative writer and her passion for true crime, she crafts each script to ensure that listeners are given a deep dive into the case mechanics as well as an understanding of the victims as human beings.

The podcast covers both solved and unsolved South African true crime cases. The unsolved cases are often cold cases which can benefit from awareness being brought to them. This concept has been used in the US for many years and to great success. The listenership formed around true crime podcasts becomes a community that advocates for victims and resolution for families. South African victims now have their own voice too.

True Crime South Africa publishes weekly, alternating between full-length case episodes and shorter minisodes which discuss true crime cases that are currently in the media. The podcast launched on the 22nd of June 2019 and is making waves in the South African podcast community. On the True Crime South Africa social media pages, South African true crime fans finally have a place to call home where they can express their views on cases and discuss the details with like-minded people.

True Crime South Africa is published in conjunction with Arena Holdings, publishers of TimesLIVE, BusinessLIVE, and SowetanLIVE. 

Keywords: crime, true crime, murder, abduction, South Africa, police, law and order
Weekly English Explicit South Africa True Crime · News Narrated by Scott Peter Smith
273 Episodes
20 – 40

Episode 138 The Murder of Mike Thomson

In 2007, the Razor Gang terrorised Johannesburg suburbs. Before the gang was apprehended, they would take the life of at least one victim and forever change many more with their violence. (Buy Debbie Thomson's book: https://www.amazon.com/Beloved-Country-Made-Cry-Compassion/dp/0639835449) (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on…
17 Dec 2023 1 hr 06 min

Bonus Episode: The Serial Crimes of Jack Mogale

This is the first in a series of bonus episodes I'll be releasing this month to thank you for your incredible support throughout the year. This episode was first published on the Patreon feed in Sept. 2020. Promo: Our True Crime Podcast Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube ·…
12 Dec 2023 42 min

Episode 137 The Murder of Nandi Mbizane

When 27-year-old Nandi Mbizane disappeared from her townhouse in 2012, the two main suspects were her current and ex partners. Both men had a story to tell, but the evidence would support only one of those versions. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show…
10 Dec 2023 49 min

Episode 135 The Canal

In the arid province of the Northern Cape, a canal brings irrigation opportunities to local communities. For all the life that runs through that water, though, an almost equal amount of death is present. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https://www.paypal.me/truecrimesa)…
26 Nov 2023 45 min

Introducing: Abaxoxi The Storytellers

Popping into your feed to introduce a brand-new podcast from Brightrock and Change Podcasts which I have no doubt you're going to love. Abaxoxi - The Storytellers Listen to ground-breaking conversations with hosts, Rehema Isa and Lebo Biko, and their special guests as they unlock local, intercontinental, and intergenerational stories…
22 Nov 2023 1 min

Episode 134 The Heidelberg Murders

In October 2003 Heidelberg was rocked by a mass murder at a home in a quiet suburban street. The investigation would reveal that, rather than a home invasion, the motive for the murders had been a dark obsession. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the…
19 Nov 2023 55 min

Bonus Episode (Brought to you by Showmax) - Boetie Boer: Inside the Mind of a Monster

The hit Showmax Original documentary Boetie Boer: Inside the Mind of a Monster is available to binge on Showmax from tomorrow, Wednesday, 15 November 2023, having been hailed as “terrifying” (Fortress of Solitude), “spine-chilling” (Jacaranda FM), and “riveting” (Heart FM). As Algoa FM says, “Everyone is talking about it.” In…
14 Nov 2023 21 min

Bonus Episode: When Darkness Calls Part 2: International True Crime Pod Collab

Halloween never ends right? Right. I might be 12 days late in releasing this incredible collab, but great content has no expiry date ;) This Halloween, thirteen true crime podcasts (including True Crime South Africa) come together to share dark and disturbing stories. From haunted houses to serial killers, these…
12 Nov 2023 1 hr 11 min

Bonus Episode: When Darkness Calls Part 1: International True Crime Pod Collab

Halloween never ends right? Right. I might be 12 days late in releasing this incredible collab, but great content has no expiry date ;) This Halloween, thirteen true crime podcasts (including True Crime South Africa) come together to share dark and disturbing stories. From haunted houses to serial killers, these…
12 Nov 2023 1 hr 13 min

Episode 133 The Murder of Charlene Jooste

When 49-year-old Charlene Jooste was found deceased in her home in 2021, the rope around her neck indicated that perhaps she had taken her own life. A deadly secret from a decade before, though, would illuminate the truth and soon suicide was completely discounted. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the…
5 Nov 2023 59 min

Episode 132 The Murder of Klaas Jonkheid

When 48-year-old media specialist and consumer psychologist Klaas Jonkheid failed to arrive for a banquet dinner after a conference he was attending in Cape Town, those who knew him immediately knew something was wrong. The following day, a horrific discovery was made. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on…
30 Oct 2023 37 min

Interview: Financial Crimes in South Africa

As South Africans wait to hear whether the Gupta brothers will be extradited from Dubai to face fraud and money laundering charges, our country faces increased pressure from the international community to crack down on financial crimes. How do financial crimes of this nature impact everyday citizens and what can…
23 Oct 2023 56 min

Episode 131 The Serial Crimes of Riaan Stander

When the bodies of two women are found just 432m apart on the same property in Gqeberha in 2007, local police almost immediately suspect they have a serial murderer on their hands. The unravelling of the investigation would produce many firsts and finally, justice for the victims. (24-hr trauma helpline…
16 Oct 2023 1 hr 02 min

Spotlight Minisode 46

In this week's spotlight minisode, we discuss three recent cases - a trip to the ATM that turned deadly, the father and son pair facing over 700 sexual abuse charges in Jeffrey's Bay, and a horrific find in a gift bag in Cape Town. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the…
7 Oct 2023 24 min

Episode 130 The Disappearance of Keegan Du Plooy

On the 23rd of July 2020 Keegan Du Plooy allegedly appeared in Pretoria North Court. That is the last time he was seen. For three years, the mystery of where this young man disappeared to and why has endured, but there are state departments who may shoulder responsibility and they…
29 Sep 2023 1 hr 22 min

Episode 129 The Serial Crimes of Bulelani Mabhayi

In 2007 the rural village of Tholeni in the Eastern Cape became the scene of a series of murders that would span the next five years, take 20 lives, and scar the people of the village forever. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show…
16 Sep 2023 54 min

Episode 128 Bodies of Water

Lakes and dams are intended to be places of recreation and enjoyment, but it is not uncommon for them to be used by murderers hoping to submerge their victims and crimes forever. In this episode I cover several different cases in which bodies of water were used in an attempt…
14 Sep 2023 1 hr 03 min

Bonus Episode: Interview - Ryan Blumenthal Author of Risking Life for Death

In this special crossover episode, Nicole Engelbrecht interviews author Ryan Blumenthal about his new book Risking Life for Death. This is a crossover to the interview conducted on Jonathan Ball Publishing's podcast Pagecast. Subscribe to Pagecast for more bookish content here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1MKyRj76sXHSoL1KhkmWUg?si=e66f54b4ef084700 Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube ·…
30 Aug 2023 30 min

Episode 127 The Murder of Jermaine Abrahams

On the 31st of August 1986, Jermaine Abrahams was getting ready for school when there was a knock on the door of her home. Answering that door set in motion a sequence of horrific events that would lead to three people losing their lives and a community having that moment…
27 Aug 2023 53 min
20 – 40