During 2005 four bodies were found in Pretoria, the capital city of South Africa, along the railway tracks.  This led to a serial murder task team being formed. The case would take 8 more years to solve.  It would take patience, solid police work...and a little bit of luck, to ultimately catch a serial killer!

PROFILER Episode 31 - The Railway Killer

Peter Fryer

We go behind the scenes of crime prevention to discuss the technologies that are applied in local law enforcement, with Peter Fryer, who has spent decades providing the latest tech to the local police, and the private security industry, through companies such as Forensic Tools &amp; Risk Diversion.  What is out there, and how is it currently being used by the police in particular?  This episode delves quite deeply into where the fundamental problems are within the mechanics of local law enforcement. By way of a disclaimer, the outlook is pretty scary, so grab a stress ball for this one...

PROFILER Episode 30 - Forensic Tools With Peter Fryer

An incredible first conversation with retiring Colonel Tollie Vreugdenburg, the Head of South Africa's counter terrorism efforts, about his incredible career.  We focus today on 'Die Boeremag' case.  You'd better sit down for incredible insights into why SAPS likely closed down the specialist units, to just how close Nelson Mandela came to losing his life.  The episode marks the Colonel's retirement from service.

PROFILER Episode 29 - A Conversation With Colonel Tollie Vreugdenburg & the story of 'Die Boeremag'

In this episode we take a fascinating deep dive into the world of Forensic Pathology with one of SA's leading experts, and a life long devotee to the profession, Dr Hestelle van Staden.

PROFILER Episode 28 - Talking Forensic Pathology W Dr Hestelle Van Staden

In Newcastle, a town between Joburg and Durban in South Africa, in 2004, four men are murdered over the period of a year.  All are killed in or around the exercise park bordering the town.  Two of the incidents take place when the killer interrupts young couples engaging in romantic activities. He rapes the woman in each case, but he lets them live.  The murders are brutal and the killer leaves little evidence.  How will police eventually catch this incredibly dangerous murderer?

PROFILER Episode 27 - The Newcastle Serial Killer

On 28 November 2019 the Crimes Against the State (CATS) unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS) arrested Harry Johannes Knoesen (60) at his girlfriend’s home in Witbank, South Africa.  The charge?  Contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act (33 of 2004) by preparing and planning to carry out terrorist attacks, and soliciting support for an entity engaged in terrorist activity.  The following day three co-conspirators were arrested.   The plan was to take over the country, a lofty one.  How had they intended to do it and how did police ultimately catch up with them?

PROFILER Episode 26 - The Right Wing Tale of Harry Johannes Knoesen

“I want you to help me because when I am with a woman, I lose control and don’t know what I am doing. I kill all of them if they don’t give me what I want”...meet serial killer Jack Mogale, the subject of this week's episode.

PROFILER Episode 25 - The Westonaria Strangler

In this episode we chat with Nicole Engelbrecht, creator and host of the True Crime South Africa Podcast, and author of 'Samurai Sword Murder', which tells the story of Morne Harmse, who attacked a number of people with a samurai sword at the Nic Diederichs high school in Krugersdorp in 2008.

PROFILER Episode 24 - Talking True Crime SA With Nicole Engelbrecht

On 23 June 2017 Mariska du Plessis made two calls to the police.  In the first at 22:55 she said that her husband,  was attacking her son and herself.  In the second, made at 23:15, she advised police that her husband had been shot by intruders.  So what actually happened?

PROFILER Episode 23 - The State versus Mariska Du Plessis

This week we discuss some current cases, including the discovery of the bodies of murdered sex workers in downtown Joburg recently.  Plus, we break down Forensic Psychology, and Gerard explains how you might set about learning to do what he does!

PROFILER Episode 22 - Current Cases (The Bodies in JHB) & Gerard's Guide to Investigative Psychology

Profiler is a weekly discussion between journalist Paul Llewellyn &amp; former Head of Forensic Investigation at the South African Police Service, Gerard Labuschagne, who worked on over 300 serial murder and rape cases in his career. Hear the stories behind the killers who stalk the streets of South Africa.

Around the time of US president Barrack Obama’s visit to Sub-Saharan Africa in June/July 2013 an emailed death threat was received by the US consulate in Johannesburg.  This is the story of the man who sent it.

PROFILER Episode 21 - Killing the King of America: A Threat Assessment Case Study

That one case that Gerard was determined to see through to a conviction.  How Gerhard janse van Vuuren murdered his girlfriend Andrea Venter, and then tried to get away with it.

PROFILER Episode 20 - Gerhard Jansen van Vuuren & the Murder of Andrea Venter

We travel back to 2010 and discuss the case of Brian Harvey who stalked over 40 women.

PROFILER Episode 19 - Brian The Stalker Harvey

In the space of just 8 days in March 2011 Joseph Ntshongwana killed four people, some of whom he decapitated with an axe.

PROFILER Episode 18 - JOSEPH THE AXEMAN NTSHONGWANA

More catching up...this time we talk about Gerard's 2nd book and tease the cases within it.

PROFILER Episode 17 - CATCHING UP PT 2

Profiler is back with new episodes.  Paul catches up with Gerard to discuss his book, surviving a pandemic, and his thoughts on the current state of the police and crime in SA.  Oh...and don't worry we will be giving away that book on social media!

PROFILER Episode 16 - CATCHING UP PT 1

In 2002, Gerard attended his first crime scene.  It was that of the murder victim of Jose da Silva, who would become known as the Axe Killer.  Hear the true audio from the interview conducted by Gerard, in the bathroom, where he killed his victim, on the day he was arrested.  A gripping insight into the mind of a killer!

PROFILER Episode 15 - THE AXE KILLER JOSE DA SILVA

Tommy Williams

The incredible tale of South Africa's longest active serial killer.  Upon his conviction the Judge said “The State (and here I include the two prosecutors and  the SAPS investigating team) have excelled in  investigating and prosecuting this case to its  ultimate successful conclusion. The difficulties should be self-evident, given the fact that the 1987 matter occurred twenty two years ago, the inquest docket had been destroyed and material witnesses  have passed away or have retired. The same  obstacles presented themselves to a lesser extent in the 2004 matter.  Dogged persistence and diligent  investigation coupled with meticulous prosecution  have borne fruit for the State.  The investigation  and prosecution teams are deserving of  commendation and we unreservedly oblige.” This then is their story.

PROFILER Episode 14 - Tommy Williams

I would strangle them while having sex. I would go into another world when I am strangling them and raping them. When I was strangling them, they would go limp, like a jellyfish, made me feel like a king .... I had sex with some of the dead bodies. Then I can have my ecstasy. Then I can do things the way I wanted to, there is no screaming and chaos. I would fantasize about the murder and masturbate at the body also (an excerpt from an interview in 2006, with the serial killer Stewart Boetie Boer Wilken).

PROFILER Episode 13 - Stewart 'Boetie Boer' Wilken

In this episode we discuss a series of murders that took place in Knysna over a one-month period in Autumn, 2005. They became known as The Knysna Murders. Heinrich van Rooyen, a young DJ, was convicted for the murders of Jessica Wheeler(18) and Victoria Stadler(20).

PROFILER Episode 12 - The Knysna Murders

This is a superior true crime podcast (and I listen to many). I hope you have just been on hiatus. I look forward to future insight on South African crimes and possibly your thoughts on predators beyond South Africa.

Please Come Back!

Very informative podcast. I just found it, I’ll be binging!

Solid

PROFILER

In this episode we explore Fetal Abduction, otherwise known as Cesarean Kidnapping. These crimes involve the forced removal, by means of a  crude caesarean-section, of an unborn child.  This may or many not involve the subsequent death of the mother.  In recent history, 21 incidents of this crime have taken place around the world.  There have been 4 incidents in South Africa, we discuss 3 of them.

PROFILER Episode 8 - Fetal Abduction

Kobus Geldenhuys, the Norwood Serial Killer, committed house robberies, rapes and murders in the early 1990s in Johannesburg.  A policeman, he raped 2 victims and murdered 5.  Gerard interviewed Kobus from 1996 to 2001, and again in 2011.

PROFILER Episode 10 - The Norwood Serial Killer

In this episode we discuss the Hillbrow Birthday Rapist who was convicted on 112 of 122 counts against him which included 39 counts of rape, 11 compelled rapes, 1 sexual assault, 15 kidnappings, 15 assaults, 2 assault GBH and 29 thefts.  He was sentenced to 39 life sentences &amp; 212 years

PROFILER Episode 6 - The Hillbrow Birthday Rapist

In this episode we discuss the Griekwestad family murders. Don Steenkamp murdered his father Deon Steenkamp (44) his mother Christel (43) and his sister Marthella (14) on April 6, 2012.We are joined by Bronwynn Stollarz. Bronwynn is a Clinical Psychologist.  She resigned from SAPs special investigative psychology section on the rank of Colonel. In the IPS she was the section commander of the Forensic Psychology sub-section, in charge of the forensic psychologists in the unit. She has worked on a wide range of psychologically motivated crimes, from single sexual murders, to family murders to rape series. She worked on high profile cases such as the Oscar Pistorius case, and the Van Breda family murders in Stellenbosch.

In this episode we discuss the Griekwestad family murders. Don Steenkamp murdered his father Deon Steenkamp (44) his mother Christel (43) and his sister Marthella (14) on April 6, 2012.<br><br>We are joined by Bronwynn Stollarz. Bronwynn is a Clinical Psychologist.  She resigned from SAPs special investigative psychology section on the rank of Colonel. In the IPS she was the section commander of the Forensic Psychology sub-section, in charge of the forensic psychologists in the unit. She has worked on a wide range of psychologically motivated crimes, from single sexual murders, to family murders to rape series. She worked on high profile cases such as the Oscar Pistorius case, and the Van Breda family murders in Stellenbosch.

PROFILER Episode 5 - The Griekwestad Family Murders

In this episode we discuss the Port Elizabeth Prostitute Killer, Riaan Stander, who murder sex workers Lee-Ann Rondganger and Noxolo Ngqoyiya in 2007.

PROFILER Episode 4 - The Port Elizabeth Prostitute Killer

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