I suspect my husband was monitored, says Ndlovu’s widow

Former sportscaster and businessman Owen Ndlovu had parked outside the church where he went to pick up his wife but he never made it back home.

Instead, he was allegedly driven away in his vehicle at gunpoint. His body was discovered in Tokoza the next day.

Speaking to Sunday World on Friday, Ndlovu’s wife, Portia, sat on a mattress surrounded by grieving relatives, struggling to make sense of the horror that had unfolded before her eyes.

She said Ndlovu arrived at St John’s Church in Katlehong at 8pm on Tuesday and parked outside the church premises.

They were loading bags into their 4×4 vehicle when three men emerged from the darkness.

Portia said the attackers demanded the vehicle and Ndlovu handed over the keys. She said the attackers were not satisfied.

“I told him to give them the car and he handed them the keys. But they said they wanted to take him too.”

She said Ndlovu fought back as she screamed for help.

“They forcefully put him in the back seat and pushed me away. People from church came out after he was taken.”

The gunmen drove away in the vehicle with her husband inside.

Portia said she desperately tried to chase the vehicle but could not stop it.

“I was confused and angry. I started to run after the car but it disappeared with my husband. I made frantic calls to many people and my children while crying outside the church.”

Ndlovu’s car was later found in Walkerville, Midvaal, where the attackers reportedly attempted to strip it.

On Wednesday morning, Ndlovu’s body was discovered in a street in Tokoza.

Portia said that the way in which her husband was taken had left her questioning whether he had been targeted.

She said documents from the vehicle were scattered during the struggle and Ndlovu’s cellphone, which had contained crucial information, was taken.

“I suspect that my husband was being monitored, for what I don’t know. Owen used to drive around with me and the kids and all was well.

“But the day they took him, I was there and I don’t know how I survived this.”

The grieving widow said the image of her husband being forced into the vehicle haunted her. She was battling to sleep because the horror kept replaying in her mind.

Ndlovu’s death has also devastated his children.

His son, Thulani, said police from Mondeor came to the family and that he assisted them in activating the vehicle-tracking system.

He described his father as a loving parent whose life was stolen from his family.

“I feel sad that my dad was murdered in such a cruel manner. He didn’t deserve to be killed. He was a good father to us and a good husband to our mother.”

Ndlovu’s killing came a day before he was set to appear in the Booysens Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg in connection with his long-running dispute with Southern African Music Rights Organisation (Samro) CEO Annabell Lebethe.

The matter involved an interim protection order Lebethe sought against Ndlovu, which was discharged in July.

According to the court documents seen by Sunday World, Ndlovu was expected to seek an order confirming the dismissal and challenge what he described in an affidavit as an order that had been granted erroneously.

He had also sought access to Samro’s offices, alleging that security guards had been instructed to prevent him from entering the premises.

Lebethe had alleged that Ndlovu harassed and intimidated her through threatening communications. Ndlovu disputed the allegations.

In her judgment on July 17, Johannesburg magistrate Monique Anne Thirtle discharged the interim protection order.

The court found that although Ndlovu had sent an intimidating message, his conduct did not constitute a sustained pattern of harassment.

The dispute formed part of a wider conflict between Ndlovu’s Artists United and Samro involving governance issues, allegations of corruption, commercial lease disputes and litigation.

Lebethe was absent at Thursday’s proceedings. Her lawyer told the court that reports had emerged that Ndlovu had died the previous day.

The matter was postponed until October 2.

Ndlovu’s memorial service will be held on Wednesday and his funeral service on Friday.