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Gauteng police have launched a manhunt for three suspects after former SABC sports presenter Owen Ndlovu was abducted at gunpoint on September 15 2026 while collecting his wife from church in Katlehong and found dead with gunshot wounds the following morning in nearby Thokoza. According to Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi the attackers pushed his wife Portia aside as she approached their Ford Raptor pick-up truck before forcing Ndlovu into the back seat and driving off with him. The vehicle was later recovered abandoned in Walkerville south of Johannesburg where it had been partially stripped a police assessment found. Ndlovu’s body was discovered by residents beside a road in Thokoza with a bag containing his belongings found a few metres away.[[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c52e047wpw7po)
Family spokesperson Eugene Mthethwa confirmed that Portia Ndlovu identified her husband’s body at a mortuary and said residents who found him reported he had sustained gunshot wounds. Mthethwa added that the family was still awaiting further details from investigators on the circumstances of the killing. In a statement the family asked for privacy while they mourned and said they would release more information when appropriate. The incident has prompted an outpouring of tributes from former colleagues and members of the public who remembered Ndlovu for his work in broadcasting.[[2]](https://www.citizen.co.za/news/former-sabc-presenter-owen-ndlovu-found-dead-days-after-katlehong-hijacking/)
Owen Ndlovu aged 54 built a career as a sports presenter with the South African Broadcasting Corporation where he covered football and other codes across the public broadcaster’s platforms. Beyond on-air duties he operated Michaelowen Productions and contributed to Premier Soccer League radio programming while also becoming a vocal activist on music rights issues. He had been an influential critic of the South African Music Rights Organisation drawing attention to concerns over royalty distribution and industry practices. Colleagues described him as a dedicated professional whose broadcasting work reached wide audiences in South Africa.[[3]](https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/celeb-news/local-celebs/who-was-owen-ndlovu-former-sabc-presenter-found-dead-east-rand-gauteng/)
South African Police Service figures show that while carjackings declined by 18.2 percent in the second quarter of 2026 with 3811 incidents recorded nationally Gauteng accounted for nearly 58 percent of the total and kidnappings linked to vehicle hijackings remain a persistent challenge. In the first quarter of the year Gauteng recorded 2404 kidnappings an increase of 1.6 percent from the previous corresponding period with more than half tied to carjackings or attempted hijackings according to provincial police data. The province continues to register an average of more than 40 hijackings daily despite the reductions a trend that has kept law enforcement focused on organised crime patterns in urban areas like Ekurhuleni.[[4]](https://www.arrivealive.co.za/news.aspx?s=1&i=78611&name=carjackings-are-down-18-2-but-south-africa-still-records-42-a-day)
Police have referred the case to the Germiston Trio unit for further investigation with a postmortem examination expected to confirm the precise cause of death. Authorities have appealed for anyone with information to contact the Crime Stop line at 08600 10111. The abduction occurred around 8pm on a Tuesday evening in a densely populated part of the East Rand highlighting vulnerabilities in routine movements even in seemingly secure settings such as church gatherings. No arrests had been reported as of September 17.[[5]](https://sundayworld.co.za/police/this-is-devastating-for-me-and-the-kids-says-slain-activist-owen-ndlovus-wife/)
Ndlovu’s death has once again focused attention on levels of violent crime in Gauteng where residents and officials continue to grapple with the impact of hijackings that frequently escalate beyond theft. Family members expressed devastation in private conversations with local media but have so far limited public comment to the prepared statement. Broadcasting industry figures have used the occasion to call for stronger community safety measures without speculating on motives behind this specific attack.
