A man known only as ‘John’, is wanted in connection with the brutal murder of a 30-year-old woman from Sandton.

• The South African Police Service (SAPS) has activated a high-level task team and mobilised all available resources in a manhunt for the suspect.
• The growing number of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) cases has triggered a renewed call for vigilance and safety among women.
• Women are urged to take extra precautions when interacting with people they do not know well, particularly during first-time meetings.
• Visit www.sandtontimes.co.za for more stories.

The suspect, believed to be an African male using a pseudonym, allegedly picked up Olorato Mongale from her residential complex in Athol, Sandton, at around 3pm on Sunday, 25 May 2025. He was driving a white Volkswagen Polo fitted with a cloned number plate – LT 57 JG GP, which officially belongs to a Toyota Hilux.

According to police, Olorato had gone on a date with the suspect. Investigations have revealed that the man drove through Alexandra, then to Kew, and eventually into the area between Alexandra and Lombardy West, where he allegedly murdered Olorato and dumped her body.

Some of Olorato’s personal belongings, including her cellphone and handbag, were found discarded along 9th Road in Kew. Her lifeless body was discovered less than two hours after she was picked up, at approximately 4:50pm on Sunday, in Lombardy West, with the help of community members and police officers conducting an urgent search operation. It is believed this suspect may not have been acting alone. The possibility of a second male accomplice is currently under investigation.

As detectives intensify the manhunt, Gauteng police are also probing a possible link to another disturbing case. On 8 May 2025, just weeks prior to Olorato’s murder, a 39-year-old woman’s body was discovered dumped along Katherine Street in Sandown, Sandton – mere kilometres from where Olorato lived and was picked up.

The modus operandi in both incidents is eerily similar – women being lured, harmed, and then abandoned in urban Johannesburg. Police have specifically urged the public to be on high alert for the white VW Polo with the false registration LT 57 JG GP, believed to be used by the suspect in the Olorato murder.

In a disturbing parallel, just last week SAPS arrested a 24-year-old man in Limpopo who had been luring women using a fake Facebook profile. The man, also using a false identity, had allegedly invited a 28-year-old woman to meet him under the pretence of a romantic connection. Once she arrived in Limpopo, he reportedly held her captive and raped her multiple times. She was rescued by the police at a filling station in Giyani. The suspect has since appeared in the Bolobedu Magistrates Court on charges of kidnapping and rape and remains in custody.

While no official connection has been established between these cases, they highlight a disturbing trend of women being targeted by men using fake identities, often through dating apps and social media platforms.

Authorities advise that individuals should always inform friends or family of their whereabouts, ensure their mobile phones are fully charged, and choose to meet in public, well-populated places. Under no circumstances, they warn, should meetings take place in secluded or isolated locations.

Members of the public who may have seen the white VW Polo with the cloned plate LT 57 JG GP, or who may have information about the suspect known as ‘John’, are urged to come forward immediately. All information will be treated with the strictest confidentiality. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or send a tip-off via the MySAPS app.

This is a developing story.

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