By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of missing Pretoria-based journalist Sibusiso Aserie Ndlovu and his partner, Zodwa Mdhluli.
Ndlovu and Mdluli went missing on Tuesday, 18 February 2025. Ndlovu is the founder of Capital Live, a radio station in Pretoria.
According to a private forensic investigator, Calvin Rafadi, who volunteered to help with the case pro bono, Ndlovu left the Capital Live offices in Mamelodi, Pretoria, in his VW Golf after 6pm, which was his normal time to leave work, and there was no indication that he was being followed.
He then went to an ATM at Denlyn Shopping Centre in Mamelodi and was seen on CCTV footage leaving the centre. He then left for KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga, where he shares a house with Mdluli. Ndlovu was last seen wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeved white top and a pair of sneakers.
It’s believed that Ndlovu met Mdluli at their KwaMhlanga house. Then, according to the locations of their phones, they left the house later that evening and were traced to somewhere in Bronkhorstspruit.
Two cases have been opened with the police – a missing person’s case and a housebreaking case.
The African Media and Communicators Forum, in collaboration with the National Press Council, has announced a reward of R50,000 for credible information that aids the police in advancing their investigation.
Gauteng police spokeswoman, Athlenda Mathe, said that four persons of interest have been arrested in connection with their disappearance.
Mathe said: “One of those arrested is said to be a mechanic who builds and fixes cars in the KwaMhlanga area. Two VW Citi Golfs that were found in possession of the suspects have also been seized. The SAPS has since changed the missing persons case to a kidnapping and car hijacking case.”
One suspect will appear in the Mamelodi Magistrates Court on Tuesday, with the others due in KwaMhlanga later this week.
Meanwhile during a visit to the Ndlovu family on Sunday, Deputy Minister in The Presidency Kenny Morolong says significant progress has been made in the search, with a reward for positive information doubled to R100,000.
Amid speculation about the circumstances of the couple’s disappearance, Morolong said the incident poses a threat to media freedom.
“We will not allow the media to be attacked, to be harassed, and that is why we are here to not just demonstrate our support, but also to send a message out there that the media remains the lifeblood of our democracy and we must protect media freedom.”