Owen Ndlovu Memorial and Funeral Details Confirmed After Brutal Murder
- A memorial service for slain SABC broadcaster and music rights activist Owen Ndlovu has been announced
- Ndlovu was hijacked outside a church by three men before his body was found with gunshot wounds the following morning
- Gauteng police are still hunting three suspects, while speculation mounts over whether his activism played a role in his death
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Mzansi is mourning the loss of Owen Ndlovu, a former SABC sports broadcaster and music rights activist, whose memorial service has been confirmed for Wednesday, 23 September 2026. The service will run from 11 am to 4 pm at Walter Sisulu Hall. His burial is scheduled for Friday, 25 September.
Ndlovu was killed on the evening of Tuesday, 15 September, after being hijacked while waiting outside a church in Katlehong to collect his wife, Portia. Police say three men, at least one of them armed, shoved her out of the way and forced him into his Ford Raptor before speeding off.
The following morning, residents discovered his body on a roadside in the nearby Thokoza township. He had been shot, and his bag was found lying a few metres from his body. His Ford Raptor bakkie was later recovered abandoned in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg. The Germiston Trio Crimes unit has taken over the investigation, and three suspects remain at large.
Family spokesperson and colleague Eugene Mthethwa, speaking to Africa Daily, said the family is struggling to make sense of the attack, particularly why the perpetrators would abandon the vehicle and yet still pursue and shoot Ndlovu.
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Royalties battle and SAMRO dispute
Beyond his years as a familiar voice in South African sports broadcasting, Ndlovu had in recent years become a prominent campaigner for artists' royalties through the organisation Artists United.
His advocacy placed him in direct and sustained conflict with the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) and its chief executive, Annabell Lebethe, over allegations of governance failures and the mismanagement of money owed to artists. The dispute wound through multiple courts, and Ndlovu was due back in court in a related matter just days after his brutal murder.
SAMRO has since released a statement expressing sadness at his passing and extending condolences to his family.
His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from broadcasters, musicians and sports figures across the country. It has also fuelled online speculation about whether his activism was connected to his killing. However, police have not established any link between the murder and his ongoing disputes within the sector.
Owen Ndlovu's widow stays strong for kids
In an earlier report, Briefly News shared a statement from Owen Ndlovu's grieving widow, recounting the day her husband was hijacked and ultimately murdered.
She was described as a strong woman who had been trying to stay composed for the sake of their children, even as she processed the horror of what had happened to her husband.
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Source: Briefly News
