PODCAST · true crime
It Happened Here
by ReadyFreddie
It Happened Here (IHH) is a weekly true crime podcast from Ready Freddie Productions, presented by South African journalist Kate Thompson Davy. The creators of IHH intend this to be a true crime podcast that centres victims and survivors, that peers into the psychology at play, and scratches that crime and grime itch we all sometimes have. Having said that, we do not want to produce 'gore porn' or glorify the criminals we speak about. That is a guiding value of ours, as well as: Sex work is work. My body, my choice. Trans and black lives matter. And f*ck your feminism if it isn’t intersectional. If that doesn’t work for you, that’s your call (do better!), but this is not the podcast you are looking for. I’m sure we will fall short of these values at some point, because we’re all flawed and unlearning prejudices. Please do let us know when we go wrong ([email protected]), but also,
Episodes
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The missing masterpiece: Pretoria Art Museum heist
It’s Sunday, 11 November 2012, when three people stroll into the Pretoria Art Museum on Wessels street in Pretoria, and stroll out again with six of South Africa’s most historic and valuable art works. Two days later, four of those pieces would be discovered in the most unlikely place… Thanks to…
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Love shouldn't hurt: The murder of Leighandre "Baby Lee" Jegels
August 30th 2019 was a regular day for Leighandre Jegels and her mom Ryta. The two were making their way to a boxing gym in East London, when a car started driving erratically behind them. In it was Bulelani Manyakama, Leighandre's abusive ex-boyfriend... Domestic abuse resources:...
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Friends, family & fraud: The death of Dustan Blom
It became known as the case of the body in the boot, abandoned in the parking lot of Montecasino, but there's a man behind that headline. In the wake of his wife's unexpected death, Dustan Blom meets exotic dancer Maruschka Robinson. He takes pity on her, offers her a lifeline, but Maruschka...
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Angels, demons, and thieves: the Mancoba Seven Angels massacre
It’s February 21st, 2018, just after midnight, when three vehicles pull up outside the Ngcobo police station. One of them is a police van, but the gunmen that climb out are anything but police. They head into the station and gunfire shatters the quiet calm of a small village police station. As…
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Song & dance: The murder of Taliep Petersen
This is the first episode of It Happened Here for 2022. In the spirit of the new year, I’m declaring this the start of a new season. Yes, the numbering won’t make tonnes of sense, but neither does much in life so we’re just going to run with it. This episode covers the plot to murder one of South...
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Snake in the grass: The murder of Siam Lee
In January 2018, near New Hanover, a small burning patch of sugar cane caught the attention of a farmer out walking with his grandson. As he got closer, he realized that there was more to the fire. There were drag marks in the soil, the smell of petrol, and just a foot or into the field was a...
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The night the music died: Nkululeko "Flabba" Habedi
The subject of today’s episode is Nkululeko Habedi – also known by his musical persona or nickname “Flabba.” Flabba’s case attracted a lot of media attention, because he was already famous as a member of the South African hip-hop collective Skwatta Kamp, and for his work as a solo artist. On the...
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Hijack or hit?: The murder of Anni Dewani
It’s the 2nd of March 2011 and, on the side of the road a middle-aged couple kneel in the sand, weeping. In front of them is a board hammered into the sand, a photograph of a young woman attached. Meters away reporters jostle to try and get a better shot. This ceremony is part of an ongoing story...
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The axeman cometh: The crimes of Phindile Joseph Ntshongwana
IHHers, today’s case is an interesting one. Firstly, Phindile Joseph Ntshongwana was not an anonymous guy before these crimes put him in the papers. In fact, he used to be a professional rugby player –and you know how South Africans feel about their rugby. The other reason this case got so much...
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Interview: National Sex Workers Movement in South Africa
While my current investigation/research is taking a bit longer than normal, here's an interview I did with Yonela Sinqu, the communications officer at Sisonke, the National Sex Workers Movement in South Africa. We talk about why they advocate for decriminalisation (rather than legalisation), as...
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The kidnapping of Baby Zephany
Zephany was born on 28 April 1997, in Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town. She’d been born via C-section, and so her mom was still recuperating in the ward a few days later. And it was while mom Celeste lay there, in and out of an exhausted, post-operative sleep with her little girl resting by…
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Unnatural suspicions: The death of Patrick Maqubela
The President Hotel in Bantry Bay is a long way from the sweet and simple townhouses we’ve been lurking in recently. It has some 350 rooms and apartments, with tall palm trees positioned around a pool and the exterior painted in startling white just to lean into that Med look. On the 7th of June...
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Close to home: The abduction & murder of Jayde Panayiotou
Today we’re traveling to Gqeberha on the south east coast of South Africa, the perfect spot for a young couple like the Panayiotous. Jayde Panayiotou worked as a teacher and her husband Christopher was an entrepreneur. On April 21 2015, Cherise Swanepoel pulled up to the Stellen Glen townhouse...
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Unlocked & (maybe) unsolved: The murder of Inge Lotz
Back in 2005 the Shiraz complex in Stellenbosch had just been completed and the first set of tenants moved in, including 22-year-old student Inge Lotz. Inge was whip-smart, studying mathematics and stats at the University of Stellenbosch. She was a dedicated student who liked to stick to a…
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Station Strangler stragglers: 2b or not to be
Yes, I know that is a truly awful joke. I’m not even sorry though. In this definitely-not-a-third-part episode, I want to pull a few loose threads that I simply couldn’t when I was putting together the larger narrative of the Station Strangler case and Norman Simons. Sources:...
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The Station Strangler (Pt2): Many more in store
This is part two of the Station Strangler. If you haven’t listened to part one, start there. Last week we covered a series of murders, from 1986 to 1992, and I told you about ten young boys who were raped and strangled before being dumped in various sites near the train stations and in the sand...
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Minisode update: Jason Rohde's appeal
I’m just jumping into your new episode feeds with a mini update. This refers to episode five – the killing of Susan Rohde in 2016, for which her husband Jason Rohde was convicted in late 2018. Jason was found guilty by Judge Salie-Hlope in the Western Cape High Court. Now, on 16 August 2021…
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The Station Strangler P1: "One of us"
The case of the Station Strangler unfolds at a critical and tense juncture of South African history. The majority of events here take place between 1986 and 1995, the last few years of apartheid. In fact, eleven victims bodies are found just weeks before our first democratic election in 1994.…
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The Devil in the ‘dorp: What Cecilia's Krugersdorp cult did next
This is part two of the Krugersdorp cult killings. At the centre of this is a woman called Cecilia Steyn who has created this epic backstory for herself, in which she is a former Satanist, a ritualistic abuse survivor, who wants to transform her life and walk with christ. So far she’s convinced…
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Devil in the ‘dorp: The Krugersdorp cult killers
This is the story of eleven murders and six accused murderers. There are multiple methods of killing, multiple disposal MOs, a period of almost a decade from the first slayings to the sentencing, and many locations. You will meet some of the strangest characters, and hear bizarre, meandering...
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Devil in the ‘dorp: “Samurai killer” Morne Harmse
It’s Monday morning August 18th, 2008 at a school in Krugersdorp. The bell has just rung for morning assembly so all the students are making their way towards the hall in groups, chatting among themselves. Two 16-yo boys Jacques Pretorius and his friend JC are walking in together when the...
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Burial above ground: the Vlakfontein murders
Vlakfontein is the kind of place where you know your neighbours by name and by sight. But in October of 2018, no one had seen the Khoza family from 4192 Ibis Crescent for a few days. There are quite a few people who call this property home. Mbali Khoza is the homeowner, and she lives here with a...
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Death en suite: Susan Rohde
It’s 2016, July 24th, and the receptionist on duty of Spier Hotel has just taken a call from a guest in need of a maintenance man. Spier is a four-star hotel, positioned on one of the country’s oldest wine farms. Maintenance work Desmond Daniels responds to the call, and at this moment, of the…
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Hate and homicide: The murder of Noxolo Nogwaza
Today I’m talking about hate crimes and homophobia in South Africa. For this episode, we are traveling to KwaThema, a township in Gauteng. There is electricity in kwathema, but there are also these huge towering spotlight-style street lights. They’re lifted that high to try provide a measure of...
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Minisode: Leigh Matthews killer wants parole
25 June 2021 - Earlier this week news broke that convicted murderer Donovan Moodley is applying for parole. Donovan was convicted for the kidnapping and murder of Leigh Matthews, which was the subject of episode one of It Happened Here, so if you haven’t yet done so, give that a listen so you…
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The senseless death of Uyinene Mrwetyana, and the despair of a nation.
Uyinene – sometimes called Nene – was just 19 years old when she disappeared while out and about running errands, prompting a nationwide alarm and search. It is often credited as the spark of the #aminext movement, which was a local iteration of the global #metoo movement. This case was so…
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The short life and long legacy of Sheldean Human
This story is full of disturbing and mature material. It also deals with violence against children and sexual assault. So please bear that in mind before listening. Sheldean Human was born on the second of April 1999, to mother Elize and father Wikus. By the time we enter the story, Her parents...
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The kidnapping and murder of Leigh Matthews
It’s the 21st of July 2004, Eliot Makhubela and his nephew Samuel were cutting grass in open patches of land near the village of Walkerville, South Africa. Eliot made a living drying and selling this long grass as roof thatching. It had been a long day, and although they were knocking off, they...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
It Happened Here (IHH) is a weekly true crime podcast from Ready Freddie Productions, presented by South African journalist Kate Thompson Davy.
The creators of IHH intend this to be a true crime podcast that centres victims and survivors, that peers into the psychology at play, and scratches that crime and grime itch we all sometimes have. Having said that, we do not want to produce 'gore porn' or glorify the criminals we speak about. That is a guiding value of ours, as well as:
Sex work is work.
My body, my choice.
Trans and black lives matter.
And f*ck your feminism if it isn’t intersectional.
If that doesn’t work for you, that’s your call (do better!), but this is not the podcast you are looking for. I’m sure we will fall short of these values at some point, because we’re all flawed and unlearning prejudices. Please do let us know when we go wrong ([email protected]), but also,
HOSTED BY
ReadyFreddie
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does It Happened Here have?
It Happened Here currently has 28 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is It Happened Here about?
It Happened Here (IHH) is a weekly true crime podcast from Ready Freddie Productions, presented by South African journalist Kate Thompson Davy. The creators of IHH intend this to be a true crime podcast that centres victims and survivors, that peers into the psychology at play, and scratches that...
How often does It Happened Here release new episodes?
It Happened Here has 28 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to It Happened Here?
You can listen to It Happened Here on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts It Happened Here?
It Happened Here is created and hosted by ReadyFreddie.
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