BBC News<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A suspect wanted for the murder of a South African university student has been killed in a shootout with police. <\/p>\n The man had been linked to the death of Olorato Mongale, whose body was found in Johannesburg on Sunday, about two hours after she was reported missing having gone on a date.<\/p>\n In the early hours of Friday morning, police officers found the main suspect hiding at a residential complex in the coastal town of Amanzimtoti, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said.<\/p>\n The suspect, who has not been named by the police, shot at the officers, who returned fire and killed him, Brigadier Mathe added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Regional police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said that at the time of the suspect’s death, he had 28 ID cards and a dozen mobile phones in his possession.<\/p>\n After hearing of the fatal shootout, Chriselda Kananda, a spokesperson for Ms Mongale’s family, told South African broadcaster SABC News: “It is quite a relief for the family that justice for Olorato, before we even lay her body to rest, would have been served.”<\/p>\n Ms Mongale’s death has sparked a fierce debate about the levels of violence faced by women in South Africa.<\/p>\n The country has one of the highest rates of femicide and gender-based violence in the world.<\/p>\n In an impassioned statement, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu called Ms Mongale’s killing “inhumane” and “gruesome”, adding: “To all men, this is a plea – simple, urgent, and human: Please, stop killing women.”<\/p>\n While continuing the search for two other men allegedly linked to the murder, the police took the parents of the deceased suspect into custody. <\/p>\n The suspect’s mother is accused of enabling him to “evade arrest” by tipping him off about the police’s presence at her house.<\/p>\n The police also said the suspect’s father is the owner of a VW Polo allegedly used in Ms Mongale’s murder.<\/p>\n The vehicle, which has been seized by the police, had traces of blood inside it, Brig Mathe said.<\/p>\n The suspect’s parents were questioned in custody but have now been released, said commissioner Mkhwanazi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Earlier this week, the police named the three suspects linked to the killing as Fezile Ngubane, Philangenkosi Sibongokuhle Makhanya and Bongani Mthimkhulu.<\/p>\n Two of them – Mr Makhanya and Mr Mthimkhulu – were last month arrested for kidnapping and robbing a woman in KwaZulu-Natal, using the same VW Polo involved in Ms Mongale’s murder, police said. Both men had been freed on bail. <\/p>\n As part of their investigation into the killing, the police have identified a criminal gang or “syndicate” who have been targeting women in malls “for kidnapping and robbery”, said police spokesperson Mathe.<\/p>\n “They propose them, request to take them out on a date. When they agree, that is when they plan to rob them,” she added.<\/p>\n When Ms Mongale was last seen on Sunday, she was on a date with a man she had met a few days earlier at a shopping centre.<\/p>\n CCTV footage showed her leaving a location in Kew, Johannesburg, and walking towards a white VW Polo with fake licence plates.<\/p>\n The 30-year-old’s friends said she was invited for a date by a man only identified as John, who she had met in Johannesburg, where she was studying for a postgraduate degree at Witwatersrand University.<\/p>\n She texted one of her friends shortly before leaving home, saying that she was excited and getting ready for her date.<\/p>\n But police later found her body in an open field, sparking public outrage and calls for justice.<\/p>\n The family spokesperson said Ms Mongale’s body had been “brutally violated”.<\/p>\n A candlelight vigil was held on Wednesday evening in Lombardy West, at the site where her body was found.<\/p>\n Family and friends have described her as an outspoken, bubbly woman who “lived with purpose and love”, local media reported.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"South](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/a813\/live\/3d2900f0-3c6b-11f0-bd09-85867b04fa4e.jpg.webp\")
South Africa police \/ X<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20250529-103858-de9d27ef1-web-2.22.3-1\/grey-placeholder.png\")
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South Africa Police Service<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nYou may also be interested in:<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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