The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola, has thanked members of the public for their cooperation and assistance in the case of Aserie Ndlovu and Zodwa Mdhluli.
On Saturday, SAPS issued an alert requesting members of the public to assist police in tracing two outstanding suspects in the case.
The two were wanted suspects in the case of murdered journalist, Aserie Ndlovu and his partner Zodwa Mdhluli.
On Monday evening, SAPS Crime Intelligence officers, detectives and the Cyber Crime Unit -- with the assistance of the community -- pounced on the suspects at their hideout in Nokaneng near Rust De Winter, where the human remains believed to be of the missing journalist and his partner were found.
A DNA matching process is underway to match the human remains found with the DNA of close family members.
SAPS has confirmed that 24-year-old Thato “Small” Madisha and 43-year-old Sello Uoane were arrested during the early hours of Tuesday morning. A third suspect was also arrested.
The apprehension of these three suspects is in addition to the four suspects, who were already in police custody in relation to this case.
Masemola has commended the multidisciplinary team working on the case, as well as the community members who assisted with information on the hideout of these three suspects.
“We thank the people of South Africa, particularly Mpumalanga, who have assisted our investigating team in tracing these suspects.
“The social media community must also be appreciated for sharing the pictures of these suspects far and wide. Together, we can do more with the cooperation of communities in fighting crime and apprehending dangerous criminals,” Masemola said.
Last week, police discovered two lifeless bodies believed to be that of Ndlovu and Mdhluli.
The couple has been missing since 18 February 2025.
Their discovery is the result of a lengthy and thorough investigation by a multi-disciplinary team of law enforcement agencies. – SAnews.gov.za
