Owen Ndlovu’s car has been found allegedly half-stripped in Walkerville, hours after he was reportedly abducted by armed men while fetching his wife from church in Katlehong.
Ndlovu’s wife, Portia Ndlovu, said the alleged attack happened at around 8pm on Tuesday when her husband arrived to fetch her from church.
According to Portia, Ndlovu tried to run away from the armed men, but they allegedly chased him down, assaulted him and took him away.
“He tried to run away, but they outran him. They hit him and took him away,” she said.
Portia said Ndlovu’s cellphone was still ringing shortly after 9pm and his WhatsApp account appeared to remain online before the phone was eventually switched off.
His vehicle was later found in Walkerville, allegedly partially stripped.
The incident has reportedly been reported at Katlehong police station.
Details surrounding Ndlovu’s whereabouts and the circumstances of the alleged abduction remain unclear.
The disappearance comes as Ndlovu was due to return to court today, Wednesday, 16 September, in his long-running legal battle with the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) and its chief executive officer, Annabelle Lebethe.
Ndlovu’s public dispute with SAMRO has been well documented.
Lebethe previously obtained an interim protection order against Ndlovu. The application was subsequently dismissed and the interim protection order discharged.
Despite the court outcome, Ndlovu remained embroiled in a dispute over his access to SAMRO’s offices.
Ndlovu maintained that he was still being prevented from entering the SAMRO building despite the protection order having fallen away.
Police attempted to intervene in the dispute, but their efforts failed to resolve the impasse.
The Law and Copyright Organisation (LACO) also became involved and attempted to intervene. Those efforts are still ongoing.
The dispute eventually sent Ndlovu back to court, where he lodged an application for the anticipation of the matter.
Lebethe was subsequently summoned to appear in Booysen Magistrate court on Wednesday in connection with the application.
The alleged kidnapping comes just hours before that scheduled court appearance.
The police confirmed the incident.
In a statement, Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said:
“Police in Katlehong have launched a manhunt for three suspects following the hijacking and kidnapping of a man on Tuesday evening, 15 September 2026.
“The incident occurred at about 20:00 when the victim was fetching his wife from church. As she approached their vehicle, three unknown men, one reportedly armed with a firearm, suddenly approached them, pushed her aside and forced her husband into the back seat of his Ford Raptor bakkie.
The suspects then drove off with the victim.”
According to Nevhuhulwi the bakkie was later recovered abandoned in Walkerville.
“The victim remains missing, and police are continuing with efforts to locate him and apprehend the suspects,” she said.
Anyone with information that could assist police in locating the victim or identifying and arresting the suspects is urged to contact the Crime Stop Line on 08600 10111 or provide anonymous tip-offs on MySapsApp which can be downloaded on any smartphone.
