Owen Ndlovu funeral set for Friday 25 September

The funeral of former SABC sports presenter and music rights activist Owen Ndlovu will take place on Friday, 25 September 2026, while a memorial service is expected to be held the following Wednesday.

The venues for the memorial service or services have not yet been confirmed, with the family expected to provide further details in due course.

Ndlovu, 54, was found dead in Thokoza on Wednesday morning after he was allegedly hijacked and kidnapped while fetching his wife from church in Katlehong the previous evening. Police have since opened a murder investigation and launched a manhunt for three suspects.

His Ford Raptor was later recovered abandoned in Walkerville.

The vehicle had reportedly been ransacked, raising questions about why the suspects allegedly abandoned it instead of taking it with them.

However, the circumstances surrounding the vehicle and Ndlovu’s death remain subject to investigation.

The family has urged people not to speculate about the circumstances of his death.

The family has also made an emotional appeal to members of the public who have been circulating photographs showing Ndlovu’s lifeless body.

“We request people who have been sending his picture of a lifeless body,” the family said, pleading with people to stop sharing the images.

Family spokesperson Eugene Mthethwa has separately appealed to the public to remove photographs of Ndlovu’s body from social media, saying the images were particularly distressing for his children.

Ndlovu’s body was found by residents in Thokoza.

His wife, Portia Ndlovu, later identified him at the mortuary. The family said residents who found him reported that he had sustained gunshot wounds and that his bag was found a few metres from where his body was discovered.

Police said a post-mortem examination would be conducted to establish the cause of death.

As the family prepares to lay Ndlovu to rest, it has thanked members of the public who assisted in the search and urged society to respect the family’s privacy and dignity during the mourning period.

The investigation remains ongoing.