By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed the DNA analysis has been concluded and has positively linked the remains to that of journalist 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.
In a statement this evening, ” the national police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, said the human remains were analysed and matched with the reference sample of the biological relatives of the deceased.
“A positive DNA match thus confirms that the discovered remains are that of the missing couple. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has already notified both families and is pleased to have assisted to provide closure to both families,” said Mathe.
Seven suspects arrested in this case are currently appearing before the KwaMhlanga Magistrate court on various charges ranging from kidnapping, house robbery to possession of stolen property.