Olorato’s Final Date: How One Woman’s Caution Still Wasn’t Enough in SA’s Romance Scam Crisis

“She did everything right… and still didn’t make it home.”

That’s the haunting reality echoing across Johannesburg after the death of 30-year-old Olorato Mongale, who was brutally murdered after meeting a man she had carefully vetted online. In a country already haunted by gender-based violence and scam syndicates, her story is the kind of heartbreak that feels both familiar and fresh.

A date that turned into a nightmare

Olorato first met “John” at a shopping mall in Bloemfontein earlier this year. They chatted for a few days, and then made plans to meet up in Joburg. But before she stepped into his white VW Polo on May 25, she sent a voice note to her friends. If she didn’t check in within the hour, they were to start looking for her.

It was a move straight from a self-protection manual. But it didn’t save her.

When two hours passed with no word, her friends used her phone’s “Find My Location” feature and were led to a house in Bramley. They found her phone and handbag lying outside. Not far away, on 9th Road in Kew, Johannesburg, police discovered her body.

A familiar face in a terrifying trend

While police search for Bongani Mthimkulu, believed to be the last man linked to the group that targeted women at malls across provinces, survivors of similar scams are stepping forward. And one of them, Jabu Nxumalo, is still shaken—especially now, reflecting on how close she came to being Olorato.

“I wasn’t as cautious as Olorato,” Jabu says. “And still, I could have ended up dead too.”

Jabu had been swept up in a romance scam by a man she met on Tinder in 2023. He called himself “Deron Mundari,” claiming to be from South Sudan. He was polite. Gentle. Seemingly genuine. Over time, he convinced her to give him more than R500,000, claiming the ancestors demanded a financial sacrifice for a spiritual investment.

Then he vanished.

When romance meets fraud and danger

Jabu’s story is not rare. From Bloemfontein to Brakpan, scammers are weaponizing affection, often targeting women in secure jobs with savings or pensions. In one case reported by IOL, a SAPS officer was conned out of her retirement lump sum by a Congolese man, Joseph Hassan Yaye.

In Jabu’s case, the trauma nearly killed her. She was hospitalised for suicidal ideation after realizing she’d been used. But it wasn’t just the scam that broke her it was what came next.

‘There’s nothing we can do,’ police allegedly told her

After reporting the crime, Jabu was told by a police detective in Boksburg that there was little chance of an arrest — and that unless they knew where the scammer was, they couldn’t do anything. She even offered a photograph. The officer didn’t take it.

“That conversation pushed me deeper into depression,” Jabu recalls. “I felt like I had to beg to be taken seriously.”

Many South African women share similar stories. Scammed, ignored, and left without justice. Several fraud cases have been inexplicably closed. And yet, the predators remain active — hunting for their next victims on apps, in malls, and even on church grounds.

Social media speaks: ‘We are tired of burying women’

Olorato’s murder hit a nerve on social media. Thousands flooded platforms like X and Facebook to express their fury, heartbreak, and disbelief.

“She told her friends where she was going. She did everything right. She should be here,” one user posted.

Others are now calling for tougher policing on romance-related fraud and violence, and asking dating apps to do more to vet users.

South Africa’s love scam epidemic

South Africa is no stranger to romance scams. But Olorato’s death feels like a turning point. It’s not just about money anymore. It’s about survival.

And the sad irony is that she tried to survive. She followed the rules. She informed people. She stayed cautious. But still, she didn’t make it home.

“I can’t stop thinking about her,” Jabu says. “She was careful. She was smart. She deserved to come back.”

Now, Jabu is using her experience to raise awareness, determined not to let another woman walk into danger blindly. Because for every story like hers, there’s another we never get to hear — silenced too soon.

What can be done?

As SAPS intensifies the search for Mthimkulu, the bigger questions remain:

• Why are so many victims being turned away?

• Why are romance scams treated with such low priority?

• And how many more women have to be harmed before the system changes?

Olorato Mongale’s story is more than a tragedy. It’s a warning. A cry for help. And a reminder that even our best efforts to protect ourselves are not enough without a system that’s ready to protect us too.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of a dating scam or feels unsafe after meeting someone online, contact the SAPS Crime Stop hotline at 08600 10111. Don’t wait. Speak up. You are not alone.

{Source: IOL}

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