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It Happened HereThe missing masterpiece: Pretoria Art Museum heistIt’s Sunday, 11 November 2012, when three people stroll into the Pretoria Art Museum on Wessels street in Pretoria, and stroll out again with six of South Africa’s most historic and valuable art works. Two days later, four of those pieces would be discovered in the most unlikely place…Thanks to my interviewees from Stephan Welz & Co: https://www.swelco.co.za/ Sources:https://theworld.org/stories/2012-11-12/south-african-art-heist-thieves-steal-2m-worth-paintings-pretoria-art-museumhttps://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2012-nov-12-la-fg-wn-south-africa-art-theft-2-million-20121112-story.htmlhttps://ewn.co.za/2012/11/14/Mystery...2022-03-3128 minIt Happened HereLove shouldn't hurt: The murder of Leighandre "Baby Lee" Jegels August 30th 2019 was a regular day for Leighandre Jegels and her mom Ryta. The two were making their way to a boxing gym in East London, when a car started driving erratically behind them. In it was Bulelani Manyakama, Leighandre's abusive ex-boyfriend...Domestic abuse resources:https://genderjustice.org.za/helpline-numbers/https://help.unhcr.org/southafrica/welcome/violence/https://www.saferspaces.org.za/organisation/entry/rise-against-domestic-violence-sahttps://www.powa.co.za/POWA/ or 011-642-4345https://genderjustice.org.za/Tears foundation: Text *134*7355# or email info@tears...2022-03-1730 minIt Happened HereFriends, family & fraud: The death of Dustan BlomIt became known as the case of the body in the boot, abandoned in the parking lot of Montecasino, but there's a man behind that headline. In the wake of his wife's unexpected death, Dustan Blom meets exotic dancer Maruschka Robinson. He takes pity on her, offers her a lifeline, but Maruschka responds by taking advantage and - ultimately - his life.SOURCES:https://www.news24.com/News24/My-brothers-murder-has-left-us-shattered-Bloms-sister-20150818https://ewn.co.za/2015/08/20/Montecasino-killers-showed-no-remorsehttps://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/the-star-south-africa-early-edition/20150821/281547994635253https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/the-star-south-africa-early-edition/20140117/2816983176045392022-02-2537 minIt Happened HereAngels, demons, and thieves: the Mancoba Seven Angels massacreIt’s February 21st, 2018, just after midnight, when three vehicles pull up outside the Ngcobo police station. One of them is a police van, but the gunmen that climb out are anything but police. They head into the station and gunfire shatters the quiet calm of a small village police station. As the new day dawned on the village of Ngcobo, six people have been fatally shot… and a standoff with the Mancoba Seven Angels Ministry is shaping up.SOURCES:https://www.news24.com/citypress/News/crl-goes-after-cult-like-churches-but-laments-a-lack-of-state-support-20180301https://www.news24.com/news24/Sout...2022-02-1839 minIt Happened HereSong & dance: The murder of Taliep Petersen This is the first episode of It Happened Here for 2022. In the spirit of the new year, I’m declaring this the start of a new season. Yes, the numbering won’t make tonnes of sense, but neither does much in life so we’re just going to run with it. This episode covers the plot to murder one of South Africa's most lauded musical talents, Taliep Petersen - a plot cooked up by his own wife, Najwa. Please consider supporting The District Six Museum: https://www.districtsix.co.za/SOURCES:2022-01-1630 minIt Happened HereSnake in the grass: The murder of Siam LeeIn January 2018, near New Hanover, a small burning patch of sugar cane caught the attention of a farmer out walking with his grandson. As he got closer, he realized that there was more to the fire. There were drag marks in the soil, the smell of petrol, and just a foot or into the field was a horrific sight, a charred body of a woman, one arm lifted up over her head – in what her mom will later describe as the dying swan pose. One hand remained untouched by the fire, her fingertips still glinting with sparkly nail polish. 2021-12-0125 minIt Happened HereThe night the music died: Nkululeko "Flabba" HabediThe subject of today’s episode is Nkululeko Habedi – also known by his musical persona or nickname “Flabba.” Flabba’s case attracted a lot of media attention, because he was already famous as a member of the South African hip-hop collective Skwatta Kamp, and for his work as a solo artist. On the evening of March 8 2015, Flabba, his girlfriend Sindi and some of their friends, are all set for a night out at one of Joburg’s swankiest spots – The Sands, in Sandton. But the night would end in his death - a death that sparked a national debate about self defe...2021-11-1825 minIt Happened HereHijack or hit?: The murder of Anni DewaniIt’s the 2nd of March 2011 and, on the side of the road a middle-aged couple kneel in the sand, weeping. In front of them is a board hammered into the sand, a photograph of a young woman attached. Meters away reporters jostle to try and get a better shot. This ceremony is part of an ongoing story that has captured international headlines. The couple, Nilam and Vinod Hindocha, have come to grieve their beloved daughter, Anni Dewani - and to get to answers. Was Anni the random victim of a hijacking, or had her new husband Shrien Dewani con...2021-11-0228 minIt Happened HereThe axeman cometh: The crimes of Phindile Joseph NtshongwanaIHHers, today’s case is an interesting one. Firstly, Phindile Joseph Ntshongwana was not an anonymous guy before these crimes put him in the papers. In fact, he used to be a professional rugby player –and you know how South Africans feel about their rugby. The other reason this case got so much attention was that Phindile is a literal axe murderer who went on a week-long rampage in March 2011, murdering four people and attempting to kill at least two others. But there’s a lot more to this case, in particular there’s the question of “mad or bad?”. Phi...2021-10-2525 minIt Happened HereInterview: National Sex Workers Movement in South AfricaWhile my current investigation/research is taking a bit longer than normal, here's an interview I did with Yonela Sinqu, the communications officer at Sisonke, the National Sex Workers Movement in South Africa. We talk about why they advocate for decriminalisation (rather than legalisation), as well as getting into some of the discrimination and violence sex workers face. A study by the South African Media Research Council recently found that 71% of women sex workers said they had been exposed to physical violence and 58% said they had been raped. One in seven of the 3005 women surveyed reported being raped by...2021-10-1732 min
It Happened HereThe kidnapping of Baby ZephanyZephany was born on 28 April 1997, in Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town. She’d been born via C-section, and so her mom was still recuperating in the ward a few days later. And it was while mom Celeste lay there, in and out of an exhausted, post-operative sleep with her little girl resting by her side that the unthinkable happened. On April 30th, someone entered that room, dressed in the maroon trousers and oatmeal shirt of the Groote Schuur staff uniform, and took Zephany from her crib before disappearing, seemingly forever.https://www.patreon.com/ithappenedhere...2021-09-3026 min
It Happened HereUnnatural suspicions: The death of Patrick MaqubelaThe President Hotel in Bantry Bay is a long way from the sweet and simple townhouses we’ve been lurking in recently. It has some 350 rooms and apartments, with tall palm trees positioned around a pool and the exterior painted in startling white just to lean into that Med look. On the 7th of June 2009, security guard Mark Benjamin is standing outside room 54 key in hand, with two others chomping at the bit to get inside. These men are Lester Penteni and Marshall Gobinca. The men had gone to the President Hotel in search of Judge Patrick Maqubela, who was...2021-09-1929 min
It Happened HereClose to home: The abduction & murder of Jayde PanayiotouToday we’re traveling to Gqeberha on the south east coast of South Africa, the perfect spot for a young couple like the Panayiotous. Jayde Panayiotou worked as a teacher and her husband Christopher was an entrepreneur. On April 21 2015, Cherise Swanepoel pulled up to the Stellen Glen townhouse complex as always to carpool with Jayde to work, but there was no sign of her, no answer on her phone either. Jayde was the victim of an abduction and by 10am the whole country would be sharing her image online using #findjayde – but it was already too late.ww...2021-09-1031 min
It Happened HereUnlocked & (maybe) unsolved: The murder of Inge LotzBack in 2005 the Shiraz complex in Stellenbosch had just been completed and the first set of tenants moved in, including 22-year-old student Inge Lotz. Inge was whip-smart, studying mathematics and stats at the University of Stellenbosch. She was a dedicated student who liked to stick to a schedule for her academic work, so when she wasn’t answering her phone on the night of 16 March 2005, her mom assumed she was head down in a book. Inge’s boyfriend Fred van der Vyver, however, was not as convinced. He’d been trying to reach Inge for hours. He calls a friend...2021-09-0235 min
It Happened HereStation Strangler stragglers: 2b or not to beYes, I know that is a truly awful joke. I’m not even sorry though. In this definitely-not-a-third-part episode, I want to pull a few loose threads that I simply couldn’t when I was putting together the larger narrative of the Station Strangler case and Norman Simons. Sources:http://www.psychology.uct.ac.za/psy/staff/professors/colintredouxhttps://www.dailyvoice.co.za/news/no-parole-for-station-strangler-21912705https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/cape-argus/20091211/283158604730132https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/cape-argus/20091211/283381943029524https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/cape-argus/20091214/282372625716970https...2021-08-2721 min
It Happened HereThe Station Strangler (Pt2): Many more in storeThis is part two of the Station Strangler. If you haven’t listened to part one, start there. Last week we covered a series of murders, from 1986 to 1992, and I told you about ten young boys who were raped and strangled before being dumped in various sites near the train stations and in the sand dunes of Mitchell’s Plain and surrounds. In early 1994, there had been a gap of over two years since the disappearance of any young boys had been definitively linked to the so-called Station Strangler, but soon we would learn that the ni...2021-08-2440 min
It Happened HereMinisode update: Jason Rohde's appeal I’m just jumping into your new episode feeds with a mini update. This refers to episode five – the killing of Susan Rohde in 2016, for which her husband Jason Rohde was convicted in late 2018. Jason was found guilty by Judge Salie-Hlope in the Western Cape High Court. Now, on 16 August 2021, Jason has appealed this ruling in the Supreme Court of Appeal, the second highest court in South Africa. Here's a quick summary of the defence claims. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2021-08-1906 min
It Happened HereThe Station Strangler P1: "One of us"The case of the Station Strangler unfolds at a critical and tense juncture of South African history. The majority of events here take place between 1986 and 1995, the last few years of apartheid. In fact, eleven victims bodies are found just weeks before our first democratic election in 1994. Only one man has ever been convicted of any crime associated with this spate of murders, although there is a lot of speculation that he wasn’t the only perpetrator. So many social, personal and political factors combined around this case, making it one of such horror and cultural significance in South Af...2021-08-1634 min
It Happened HereThe Devil in the ‘dorp: What Cecilia's Krugersdorp cult did nextThis is part two of the Krugersdorp cult killings. At the centre of this is a woman called Cecilia Steyn who has created this epic backstory for herself, in which she is a former Satanist, a ritualistic abuse survivor, who wants to transform her life and walk with christ. So far she’s convinced Ria Grunewald and Ria’s prayer group turned sect Overcomers through Christ that for the church of satan, she’s the one who got away. And then she's turned a small breakaway group against Ria, and together perpetrated four murders in 2012. The next definitive point on our...2021-08-0736 min
It Happened HereDevil in the ‘dorp: The Krugersdorp cult killersThis is the story of eleven murders and six accused murderers. There are multiple methods of killing, multiple disposal MOs, a period of almost a decade from the first slayings to the sentencing, and many locations. You will meet some of the strangest characters, and hear bizarre, meandering stories of events and reasoning built on a flimsy pretext of belief, but this is also the story of a small group of friends, in a small town, a teacher, a school girl, her brother. On paper, at least at a surface level, they sound like no one you’ve ever en...2021-07-3127 min
It Happened HereDevil in the ‘dorp: “Samurai killer” Morne HarmseIt’s Monday morning August 18th, 2008 at a school in Krugersdorp. The bell has just rung for morning assembly so all the students are making their way towards the hall in groups, chatting among themselves. Two 16-yo boys Jacques Pretorius and his friend JC are walking in together when the unthinkable happens. They didn’t have any real warning. Some kids in the vicinity said they heard someone say “Want to see something cool?” just before that someone swung a sword at Jacques, catching him at the neck. He fell to the ground, while all around them kids...2021-07-2426 min
It Happened HereBurial above ground: the Vlakfontein murdersVlakfontein is the kind of place where you know your neighbours by name and by sight. But in October of 2018, no one had seen the Khoza family from 4192 Ibis Crescent for a few days. There are quite a few people who call this property home. Mbali Khoza is the homeowner, and she lives here with a long-term boyfriend Fita Khupe and her sister Dudu Khoza. Dudu’s kids – Nomfundo, Luyanda and Sbongakonke – also lived there, and Nomfundo herself had two kids, Karabo and Nkanyiso. It is very common in South Africa for multiple generations of the same...2021-07-1628 min
It Happened HereDeath en suite: Susan RohdeIt’s 2016, July 24th, and the receptionist on duty of Spier Hotel has just taken a call from a guest in need of a maintenance man. Spier is a four-star hotel, positioned on one of the country’s oldest wine farms. Maintenance work Desmond Daniels responds to the call, and at this moment, of the lock turning, two versions of the story splinter off. What maintenance man Desmond and husband Jason describe on the other side of the bathroom door was either a tragic suicide by a distraught and heartbroken woman, or the deliberate murder and cover up by her...2021-07-0725 min
It Happened HereHate and homicide: The murder of Noxolo NogwazaToday I’m talking about hate crimes and homophobia in South Africa. For this episode, we are traveling to KwaThema, a township in Gauteng. There is electricity in kwathema, but there are also these huge towering spotlight-style street lights. They’re lifted that high to try provide a measure of light and security, but there are always bits the light doesn’t reach. And it was in a patch of deep shadow, in an alley between buildings that a woman called Noxolo Nogwaza was killed in April 2011. Noxolo – which means peace in Zulu - was just 24. She was a mum to two...2021-07-0128 min
It Happened HereMinisode: Leigh Matthews killer wants parole25 June 2021 - Earlier this week news broke that convicted murderer Donovan Moodley is applying for parole. Donovan was convicted for the kidnapping and murder of Leigh Matthews, which was the subject of episode one of It Happened Here, so if you haven’t yet done so, give that a listen so you have a good idea just how cold, remorseless, and twisted Donovan is. This is a brief update on what he family had to say about this development.· Cape Talk: https://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/419964/what-would-it-achieve-leigh-matthews-family-won-t-meet-with-killer-they-say· ENCA: https://www.enca.com/news/leigh...2021-06-2509 min
It Happened HereThe senseless death of Uyinene Mrwetyana, and the despair of a nation.Uyinene – sometimes called Nene – was just 19 years old when she disappeared while out and about running errands, prompting a nationwide alarm and search. It is often credited as the spark of the #aminext movement, which was a local iteration of the global #metoo movement. This case was so shocking to South Africans that it sparked protests in both the real world and social streets, calling on our government to do something, anything, to turn the tide on the seemingly endless instances of gender-based violence and femicides. An obvious but necessary trigger warning: This episode covers gender-based viole...2021-06-2321 min
It Happened HereThe short life and long legacy of Sheldean HumanThis story is full of disturbing and mature material. It also deals with violence against children and sexual assault. So please bear that in mind before listening. Sheldean Human was born on the second of April 1999, to mother Elize and father Wikus. By the time we enter the story, Her parents divorced and Sheldean lives with her mom in Pretoria, a city north of Johannesburg, South Africa. Sheldean attended the nearby primary school, where her teachers described her as friendly and self-confident, independent, and a pretty child with her straight blonde hair cut into blunt fringe. 2021-06-1621 min
It Happened HereThe kidnapping and murder of Leigh MatthewsIt’s the 21st of July 2004, Eliot Makhubela and his nephew Samuel were cutting grass in open patches of land near the village of Walkerville, South Africa. Eliot made a living drying and selling this long grass as roof thatching. It had been a long day, and although they were knocking off, they decided to stop by one last spot. This was where they were going to start the next day, so they were scouting it out essentially. It was Samuel who first spotted something in the grass although he didn’t know what i...2021-06-0728 min