Owen Ndlovu was a familiar face to South African sports audiences after years as an SABC presenter

🌐 Here's What Happened

Tributes are pouring in for veteran South African sports broadcaster who was found dead hours after being hijacked and abducted near Johannesburg.

Owen Ndlovu, former presenter with the country's public broadcaster, the SABC, was seized on Tuesday while collecting his wife from church in Katlehong area, police said.

His body, which witnesses said had gunshot wounds, was discovered by residents the following morning, hours after his abduction.

📌 Key Details

Police have launched a manhunt for three suspects and are investigating the circumstances surrounding his killing, which has once again drawn attention to South Africa's high levels of violent crime.

Gauteng police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said Ndlovu had gone to collect his wife from a church service when the attackers struck.

"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," she said.

The vehicle, a Ford Raptor pick-up truck - commonly known as a bakkie in South Africa - was later recovered abandoned in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg, police said.

Ndlovu's body was found beside a road on Wednesday by local residents in Thokoza. They said he appeared to have suffered gunshot wounds.

His bag was found a few metres away on Gauteng's East Rand, a densely populated urban and industrial area east of Johannesburg.

📰 Source: BBC Africa