This episode was first published in the Patreon feed in April 2023. When Elizabeth Martiens said goodbye to her father after the school holidays and headed home to her mom, no one had any idea that this would be their last goodbye. When Elizabeth doesn't make it home, eyes turn to the man she was last seen with - her father's employer - and some dark questions start to rise to the surface. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Sup...
Jun 20, 2025•47 min0
This is a TCSA Rewind episode - designed to bring more attention to some of the back catalogue of episodes and provide updates in cases I've covered in the past. This episode was first released in August 2019. Listen through to the end for an update. On Friday, the 6th of April 2012 three members of the Steenkamp family were brutally murdered. The perpetrator would be the last person anyone would have suspected. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreo...
Jun 13, 2025•1 hr 50 min0
This episode was first published in the Patreon feed in December 2021. When a Dutch exchange student goes missing while in South Africa, her family, desperate for answers, pin their hopes on South African authorities to find their daughter. When they do, it will be in the worst possible circumstances, and a lifelong chameleon of crime will be unmasked. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https://www.pa...
Jun 01, 2025•51 min0
In 1997 amidst a surge of serial murder cases across the country, one man began hunting victims in Kroonstad. After very nearly getting away with it, an eagle-eyed cop would bring the series of murders to an end (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) Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter · LinkedIn
May 30, 2025•39 min0
Almost two decades after the horrendous double murder, the families are still dealing with the fallout of the crimes and unresolved grief. Then, a conversation in a prison cell changes everything. And just when the families think they may be able to move forward, more bombshells are dropped on their lives. This is part 2 of a two-part podcast series created in collaboration with KykNet around their drama series, Niggies. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://w...
May 22, 2025•1 hr 18 min0
In 1966, in Odendalsrus, two 12-year-old cousins, Petro Nel and Issie Fourie, walked to the swimming pool to cool off. They were never seen alive again. As the horror in an abandoned building is discovered, the town and three of its families will never be the same. While police launch a massive manhunt for the killers, Issie’s teenage brother makes a vow to ensure she gets justice. It’s a promise he plans to keep - no matter what. This is part 1 of a two-part podcast series created in collaborat...
May 22, 2025•1 hr0
This is a TCSA Rewind episode - designed to bring more attention to some of the back catalogue of episodes and provide updates in cases I've covered in the past. This episode was first released in May 2020. Listen through to the end for an update. On the 16th of December 2006, South Africa lost one of its brightest stars in the performing arts. Taliep Petersen was gunned down in what, at the time, seemed to be a home invasion gone wrong. Soon though, evidence would emerge that this devastating l...
May 11, 2025•56 min0
This is me popping into your feed with some updates on a few project deadlines I'm juggling and news on what you can expect to see on TCSA in the next two months. Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter · LinkedIn
May 09, 2025•9 min0
In 1985, a single night of unprovoked violence in a tiny fishing village on the West Coast would change the town forever. The man with the axe and his killing spree would become the stuff of legend in the town for decades. (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) Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter · LinkedIn
Apr 29, 2025•39 min0
A group of people, mostly ordinary South Africans, but also a few multimillionaires, woke up one morning in October 2023 to discover that an investment fund they'd counted on for an income for up to 22 years was a complete sham. Overnight, their monthly dividends became the spoils of a criminal scheme, and their lives and futures were changed forever. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https://www.pay...
Apr 20, 2025•52 min0
On 6 December 2016, four members of the Sebati family were gunned down in their home. The only surviving member, 15-year-old Onthatile, spent the next five years seemingly struggling with her grief and drifting further away from her extended family. Then, just after the fifth anniversary of the family massacre, a police officer got a visit which changed everything. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal h...
Apr 13, 2025•50 min0
On a street in Springs, Gauteng, a barbershop sat among many other businesses. Besides being boldly painted there was little that set the property apart from all the others on the street. In 2017, a missing child and a police raid revealed that the bright signage masked a dark truth. The barbershop was far more than an innocuous small business. It was a shop of horrors. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on Pay...
Apr 02, 2025•48 min0
When a young mother is taken by violent hijackers her family desperately search for answers. Two weeks after she vanished without a trace, the news they did not want to hear arrives and with it, a truth they cannot fathom. This episode was first published in the Patreon Exclusive feed in Jan 2023. It has been updated with additional information. (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...
Mar 25, 2025•42 min0
In 2004 in Inanda, KZN, a man lost his life, and two others were injured in an armed robbery of a vehicle. When an arrest was made the next morning, the victims likely heaved a sigh of relief, but for the arrestee, 16 years of horror lay ahead. (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) Read more about the issue of wrongful conviction compensation: https://www.scielo.org.za/...
Mar 24, 2025•59 min0
If you follow the podcast on social media, you’ll have seen me talking about True Crime South Africa taking part in an international event to raise awareness for charities all over the world. From the 15th of March until 21st of March podcasters all over the world are dedicated one episode in their feed to the Podcasthon. We got to select a charity we wanted to highlight, and I picked Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust because sexual violence is a topic that is terrifyingly prevalent in so many of the ...
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 3 min0
When Lynette Volschenk failed to arrive for work, her colleagues were immediately concerned and went to her home. The young man they found in her apartment claimed he'd been hired by Lynette to clean and paint, but within 30 minutes, he was in handcuffs and a very different and terrifying story came to light. (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) Instagram · Pinterest ·...
Mar 16, 2025•1 hr 30 min0
When a 3-year-old girl goes missing from her home, a desperate 9-day search ensues by police, her family and community. All manner of possibilities are considered, but the truth lies far closer to home than anyone would suspect. (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) Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter · LinkedIn
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 6 min0
When the people of Phoswa Village in Mpumalanga suddenly found themselves the targets of an armed serial predator in 1997, no one was sure who they could trust. Almost a year after the murders began, a task team was formed to hunt down the Saloon Killer, but the path to justice was littered with investigative challenges and the perpetrator took full advantage. (24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447) (Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/truecrimesa) (Support the show on PayPal https:...
Feb 21, 2025•58 min0
When Jaco Engelbrecht was found dead at his home, his wife was the first and only suspect. The trial, though, would not play out like any ordinary murder trial and the verdict and sentence would leave South Africa grappling with the definition of justice and to whom it should apply (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) Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitte...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 3 min0
True Crime South Africa Specials focus in on one specific true crime topic taking listeners on a deep dive. This special focuses on Human Trafficking (Part 3/3) - What is it? Who and where are the victims? Who are the perpetrators? Listen to the first two parts of the series: Special: Human Trafficking Part 1 https://iono.fm/e/1444050 Special: Human Trafficking Part 2 https://iono.fm/e/1447458 Other related episodes: Financial Crimes in South Africa https://iono.fm/e/1372890 Check out the organi...
Jan 25, 2025•38 min0
A retired man goes missing and his fiancé says he went golfing and never returned home. When his body is found in his vehicle, though, the evidence doesn't match the story, but police are stumped until someone just can't hold the truth in anymore. (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) Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter · LinkedIn
Jan 06, 2025•55 min0
When a young couple move into a suburban townhouse complex, they quickly ingratiate themselves into the community. They seem like a lovely pair - ordinary, just living life like anyone else. What their neighbours don't know is that the pair have a dark past and an even darker future - one that they're all about to be pulled into. (This episode was first published in the Patreon feed in November 2023. Certain sections have been edited to make it suitable for the regular feed). (24-hr trauma helpl...
Jan 01, 2025•39 min0
When an unsuspecting motorist picks up a young couple who simply looks down on their luck, his life changes forever. When the couple, calling themselves Bonnie & Clyde, finally hand themselves over, the question remains, who really called the shots? (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) Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter · LinkedIn
Dec 18, 2024•46 min0
Idea Candy and Showmax recently released a documentary film about one of South Africa's most notorious unresolved serial crimes. The Station Strangler explores the disappearance and subsequent murder of 22 boys from Mitchells Plein from the 1980s until a face was given to the terrifying phantom. With Norman Simons now out on parole for the single murder he was convicted of, this film uncovers the deep pain that still exists around this case. In this episode I speak with the director, Nadine Cloe...
Dec 09, 2024•42 min0
I don’t know about you, but I really love fiction and audio drama podcasts. It’s like a watching a movie, but with your ears. So, listening to a movie, I guess - but way better. And although South Africa’s podcast landscape has grown hugely in the last five years that I’ve been doing this, we haven’t yet ventured into fictionalised podcasts and that wait is over! South Africa’s first audio drama podcast has hit the air…um…internet waves and it is so good! So good in fact that I wanted to share a...
Dec 05, 2024•3 min0
26 year old Allison Plaatjies life is on an upward trajectory. She's just got her first full-time teaching post, her first car and she's living in her own flat. But there is one part of Allison's life that is not going as planned. Her ex-boyfriend refuses to leave her alone and soon, his obsession will turn deadly. (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) Instagram · Pinte...
Dec 04, 2024•1 hr 3 min0
In today's episode I have the incredible pleasure of chatting with one of the world's most successful crime fiction writers, Deon Meyer. Meyer's books have enthralled and captivated readers in South Africa for decades and our conversation reveals how that often entails getting closer to real crime than one might think. This interview was first published on Jonathan Ball's Pagecast podcast. To hear more interviews with South African authors, follow Pagecast wherever you listen to True Crime South...
Nov 21, 2024•46 min0
Today I’m popping into your feed to introduce you to a podcast I love. Something Shifted is created and hosted by Sean Loots who is an incredible human and someone I’m very honoured to know. I already know you appreciate real life stories and true crime listeners often also listen to other stories of survival and big life events, so I have no doubt you’re going to love Something Shifted as much as I do. I highly recommend you subscribe to Something Shifted wherever you listen to True Crime South...
Nov 20, 2024•3 min0
Between 2015 and 2018, retirement homes in Gauteng and Mpumalanga became the scenes of horrific murders. Some of the most vulnerable members of society were being targeted and the clock was running down for police to make an arrest before another woman was killed (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) Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · YouTube · Twitter · LinkedIn
Nov 19, 2024•52 min0
When a woman arrives at the home of a rural plot owner begging for assistance to take her own life, a tale of filicide unfolds unlike anything seen in South African courts before. Did a combination of medication result in the death of two young children? Or was the motive much less complicated than that? (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) Instagram · Pinterest · Face...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 24 min0
