South African police have launched a manhunt for three suspects after former SABC sports presenter Owen Ndlovu was kidnapped and found dead hours later in Gauteng province.
Ndlovu was attacked in Katlehong, on Johannesburg’s East Rand, on Tuesday night while he was on his way to fetch his wife from a church service, police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said.
Three men, one reportedly armed with a firearm, approached the couple and attacked them, state broadcaster SABC reports.
“As she [Ndlovu’s wife] approached their vehicle, three unknown men, one reportedly armed with a firearm, suddenly approached them, pushed her aside and forced her husband into the back seat of his Ford Raptor bakkie. The suspects then drove off with the victim,” said Nevhuhulwi.
Investigations underway
Police say three men, one armed with a gun, accosted him.
Ndlovu’s body was found by residents dumped beside a road in nearby Thokoza on Wednesday morning.
“His body was found dumped next to the road. Postmortem will be conducted to establish the cause of death,” Nevhuhulwi said.
Police later recovered the vehicle abandoned in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg.
Ndlovu was popular for his work in sports broadcasting and music rights advocacy, contributing to the development and promotion of South Africa’s sports and creative industries.
Police have appealed to anyone with information that could help identify or locate the suspects to contact the Crime Stop Line.
