From Uyinene to Olorato: GBV cases that sparked a national outcry

As South Africa grapples with an alarmingly high rate of gender-based violence (GBV) incidents, numerous cases have sparked a widespread outrage and calls for urgent action.

Nine-hundred-and-fifty seven women were murdered between July and September 2024 and thousands more were victims of attempted murder.

The recent murder of Olorato Mongale has reignited the debate on GBV.

Here are some notable cases that have shocked the nation.

1. Olorato Mongale, 30

What seemed to be an innocent date turned into a nightmare for Mongale. Her body was found near Lombardy West after she went on a date with her alleged killer. The man allegedly drove with the victim, killed her and dumped her body.

2. Uyinene Mrwetyana, 19

A University of Cape Town student was brutally raped and murdered inside a post office in 2019. She went to the post office to collect a parcel she had bought online. 

3. Tshegofatso Pule, 28

Her heavily pregnant body, covered in blood, was found hanging from a tree after she was shot dead in June 2020 in Durban Deep, Roodepoort. She was eight months pregnant at the time. The police established that her boyfriend, Ntuthuko Shoba, hired a hitman to kill her. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2022.

4. Reeva Steenkamp, 29

A model and reality TV star who was shot and killed by her boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius, in 2013, claiming that he thought it was an intruder. The case drew international attention and raised questions about domestic violence and gun control.

5. Nosicelo Mtebeni, 23

The Fort Hare student was brutally killed and dismembered in August 2021 by her boyfriend. Her body parts were found in a suitcase near a dump site in East London

6. Karabo Mokoena, 22

The young woman was brutally murdered by her boyfriend Sandile Mantsoe who initially claimed Karabo committed suicide in April 2017. She went missing and her body was found a few days later burnt in a field in Lyndhurst, Johannesburg. Her case sparked widespread outrage and calls for justice.

7. Chesnay Keppler, 22

A crime prevention warden who was allegedly killed by her boyfriend, a police officer, in 2022.

8. Gontse Ntseza, 19

A murdered young woman whose body was found under a bridge in Hammanskraal in 2024 after going missing after a night out with friends.

9. Nomsa Jass, 26

Jass went missing after she left her place of work in Potchefstroom, North West. Her body was found in Carletonville in Gauteng.

10. Hannah Cornelius, 21

Cornelius, a Stellenbosch university student was abducted by a gang in Stellenbosch in May 2017 after a night out, which led to her being raped and murdered.

Advocacy groups and gender activists are calling for urgent action to address GBV in South Africa.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Women for Change founder Sabrina Walter emphasised the need to declare GBV a national disaster.

“I am hearing the stories of pain, violence, and unimaginable loss every day. I’ve spoken to thousands of mothers, survivors, and families who never got justice. But nothing prepares you for the realisation that our leaders simply do not care, not even now, after all the marches, petitions and desperate pleas.

“GBV and femicide must be declared a national disaster. Not tomorrow, but now. We need urgent justice, strict enforcement, proper trauma response and a president who fights for our lives like they matter. No woman should die in a country that refuses to protect her.”

TimesLIVE