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
280 Episodes
40 – 60

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

Episode 126 The Murder of Palesa Madiba

When 20-year-old Palesa Madiba disappeared after spending a long weekend with a childhood friend, her family had no idea that they would wait almost a decade for justice to be done in her case. (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)…
24 Aug 2023 56 min

Episode 125 The Murder of Ria Wolmarans

When SA-expat Ria Wolmarans was found shot to death in her Botswana home in 1996, her murder would be the spark to a fire of controversy around love, betrayal, and paying the ultimate price for both (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on…
14 Aug 2023 1 hr 14 min

Introducing: Off the Grid in SA

Introducing: Off The Grid in South Africa - A practical guide to shedding load-shedding "Off the Grid in South Africa" is a practical guide for those looking to avoid load shedding and become energy self-sufficient. The podcast will share tips, tricks and insights on how to generate, store and use…
28 Jul 2023 1 min

Episode 124 The Murder of Wilhemina Mahlangu

When a well-respected police officer does not arrive for work one Monday morning in 2003, her colleagues are immediately concerned. Then, they hear about a horrific discovery one town over and suddenly fear grips a community who will soon be stunned at the true nature of the crime. (24-hr trauma…
24 Jul 2023 42 min

Episode 123 The Murder of Leon Brits

When Pofadder hotelier, Leon Brits was found floating in his swimming pool, the small town that so loved and relied on him was horrified. Suspicion and rumours flew around who could have been responsible for his murder, but almost no one guessed that it was the angelic-faced woman who'd stood…
8 Jul 2023 1 hr 09 min

Episode 122 The Murder of Leighandre Jegels

25-year-old Leighandre Jegels was taking the boxing world by storm. She was an incredible athlete, a brilliant varsity student, and much loved by her family and friends. But Leighandre was also being hunted. Her ex-boyfriend was a highly trained special ops police officer and he'd set his target on Leighandre…
4 Jul 2023 45 min

Episode 121 The Serial Crimes of Pierre Basson

A young man starts a money lending business with a twist - none of his clients will get out alive. It will take at least four years for police to sit up and take notice, but when they eventually do, they'll be aghast at the string of murders that had…
25 Jun 2023 53 min

Episode 120 The Serial Crimes of Fanwell Khumalo

Between 1997 and 2001 the most prolific serial child rapist South Africa has ever seen walked the streets of Johannesburg. By the time he was caught the charges against him exceeded 100 counts, but he had not been hiding in the shadows - he'd been in the limelight all along…
12 Jun 2023 40 min

Episode 118 Go Fly A Kite

Every now and then a South African court hears a financial crime case that is so bizarre and unbelievable that it goes down in the annals of history. In 1994, one such case popped up in the unlikely town of Oudtshoorn. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon…
26 May 2023 38 min

Introducing: Preview: Episode 1 Change in One Generation Podcast

This is a preview of the first episode of Change in One Generation Podcast The Change in One Generation podcast, hosted by Ruda Landman and Dr Frank Magwegwe, dives into the change stories of fascinating South Africans. Ever wondered how some of the most successful South Africans navigate the uncertainty…
24 May 2023 18 min
40 – 60