Profiler: True Crime Africa

This week on Profiler Africa, forensic psychologist Gérard Labuschagne uncovers the terrifying world of muti murders — killings where body parts are harvested for traditional medicine. These aren’t random acts of violence. They’re deliberate, driven by belief, greed, and an underground economy that thrives in the shadows.

We dive into:

• What muti murder really means — and why it’s not just “ritual”

• A shocking case of a mother who k...

This week, Profiler Africa goes behind the scenes of South Africa’s most high-stakes standoffs with Dr Ernst Strydom — SAPS’ former National Coordinator of Hostage Negotiations.

Host Paul Llewellyn and forensic psychologist Gerard Labuschagne dig into the psychology of crisis and negotiation, guided by the man who trained the nation’s negotiators and led SAPS through hijackings, bomb threats, and terrorist incidents.

🔍 In this episo...

In this explosive episode, Paul and Gerard sit down with retired Colonel Tollie Vreugdenburg — former head of SAPS Counter-Terrorism — to expose the chilling truth behind one of the most dangerous domestic terror plots in South African history: the Boeremag.

This white supremacist militia planned to bomb the country into civil war, assassinate Nelson Mandela, and launch a violent coup. But thanks to Tollie and a small team of invest...

This week on Profiler Africa, we go deep into one of the most brutal and misunderstood crime waves in South Africa — farm murders.

Host Paul Llewellyn and forensic psychologist Gerard Labuschagne are joined by veteran detective Gawie “Sakkie” Louwrens, who’s investigated over 300 farm killings. Now retired from SAPS, Sakkie leads an independent rural crime unit taking on what the police can’t — or won’t.

Forget the headlines and poli...

Profiler Africa | Episode Out Now

Who’s really killing who in South Africa?

In one of our most explosive episodes yet, Paul Llewellyn and forensic psychologist Gerard Labuschagne sit down with Dr Chris de Kock, former head of SAPS Crime Research, to pull the mask off one of South Africa’s most politicised crime topics: farm murders.

Forget the hashtags, headlines, and hype. We’re cutting through the myth, the fear, and the politics — ...

We delve into one of the most disturbing familicides in South African history — the Etwatwa family murders.

On May 23, 2013, a 14-year-old boy in Johannesburg’s East Rand took an axe to his mother, grandmother, six-year-old brother, and four-month-old sister. Four lives ended in one night. A quiet street turned crime scene. A community left reeling. And a nation asking: how could a child commit such horror?

We unpack the chilling eve...

This is the case that chilled Johannesburg to the bone.

Between 1989 and 1992, Kobus Geldenhuys — a police officer sworn to protect — unleashed a wave of terror across the city. He raped, murdered, and broke into homes while wearing the badge. By the time it was over, five women were dead, and a community had lost all trust in the uniform.

This week, we dig into how Geldenhuys hid in plain sight, and the twisted psychology that drove...

Psychologist. Intelligence specialist. Co-author of Killer Stories. This week, Paul and Gerard sit down with Brin Hodgskiss for a heavyweight conversation on the dark art of criminal profiling — from Johannesburg to the UK.

Brin’s career spans burglary to terrorism, serial rape to murder, with 15 years in British law enforcement after starting out in SAPS. Now with the NHS, he brings that same insight to storytelling, consulting on ...

No case breakdown. No fluff. Just a gripping conversation with one of the world’s top arson and bombing experts.

We’re joined by Ed Nordskog—retired arson/bomb investigator for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, FBI instructor, US Marine vet, and author of six essential books on fire-related crime. With over 2,100 arson cases under his belt and profiles on dozens of serial arsonists, Ed is the real deal.

Together with Paul and Ger...

What’s it like creating true crime content in South Africa? This week, we sit down with YouTuber and storyteller Tshego Paledi (44K+ subscribers) for a raw, behind-the-scenes look at life in the local crime content game.

No case breakdowns—just an honest convo about the highs, hate, ethics, and emotional toll of documenting real stories of violence, injustice, and survival.

From the cases that changed her to the criticism she faces, ...

Series Description:South African Serial is a 12-part true crime anthology series. Each episode investigates one unforgettable South African crime.

Episode Description:In our first episode, we unpack the disturbing case of Stewart “Boetie Boer” Wilken — one of South Africa’s most dangerous serial killers. With a history of necrophilia, cannibalism, and a terrifying God complex, Wilken confessed to 12 murders and was convicted of 7.

Th...

This week: one of the rarest — and most horrifying — crimes on earth. A baby ripped from the womb in a violent act of theft.

We go deep into the case of Loretta Cook, a 24-year-old from Toekomsrus, whose web of lies led to murder and left a newborn fighting for life.

South Africa has seen not one, but at least three known caesarean kidnappings — an almost unheard-of crime globally. Why here? Why now?

Gerard Labuschagne and Paul Llewel...

He murdered his family with an axe — thencalmly called emergency services like nothing happened.

We're digging into one of South Africa’s mostshocking crimes: the brutal axe murders committed by 20-year-old Henri van Breda.

In 2015, inside the family’s luxury estate inStellenbosch, Henri killed his parents and brother—and nearly murdered his teenage sister, who somehow survived. The aftermath? A strange 911 call, self-inflicted wound...

We're stepping out of the morgue and into the mind — with one of the world’s top forensic psychologists.

This week on Profiler Africa, our guest is Dr. Helinä Häkkänen, a Finnish powerhouse whose work has shaped war crimes trials, courtroom psychology, and criminal investigations from South Africa to The Hague. With over 60 publications and a career advising the ICC and European law enforcement, she’s the real deal — no drama, just ...

In this episode of Profiler Africa, we take a deep dive into the terrifying case of Stewart Wilken, South Africa's most notorious serial killer. Wilken's killing spree, which spanned the early 1990s, left a trail of horrific murders that shocked the nation. Through an in-depth analysis of his background, his brutal crimes, and the dark psychology behind his actions, we uncover the twisted motivations that drove his reign of...

In this episode of Profiler Africa, we’re joined by Colonel (Ret.) Kirsten Clark, former SAPS Investigative Psychologist and Criminal Behaviour Specialist, to discuss the chilling case of Kyle Ruiters. Clark conducted a psychological assessment of Ruiters in 2019, offering rare insight into his mindset, disturbing obsessions, and the dark psychological profile that emerged from her report.

Ruiters, who brutally murdered and dismembe...

In this episode of Profiler Africa, we’re joined by Jana Marx, author of The Krugersdorp Cult Killings: Inside Cecilia Steyn's Reign of Terror, as she takes us through the disturbing story of the Electus Per Deus cult. Between 2012 and 2016, a group led by Cecilia Steyn carried out a series of brutal murders, driven by religious extremism, manipulation, and revenge. Steyn used her influence to brainwash followers into believing the...

What really happens inside South Africa’s courtrooms? What is it like to cover the country’s most gripping murder trials?

In this episode of Profiler Africa, we sit down with Jana Marx, an award-winning journalist and true crime author, to uncover the hidden world of crime reporting. From high-profile cases to shocking behind-the-scenes moments, Jana shares what it takes to bring the truth to light.

🔍 Get an insider’s look at true c...

The Oscar Pistorius trial remains one of the most infamous criminal cases in South African history. Twelve years after Reeva Steenkamp’s tragic death, the case continues to spark debate about justice, privilege, and rehabilitation.

In this episode of Profiler Africa, forensic psychologist Gerard Labuschagne, who was part of the prosecution team, joins Paul Llewellyn to break down the facts. What really happened on that fateful night...