Episode 007: Veld of Hope (The ABC Murders)

This podcast covers real-life cases involving murder, sexual violence, and suicide. Some details may be disturbing or triggering to listeners. Discretion is strongly advised.

Today, we step into South Africa’s shadows—where opportunity became the perfect snare. Between 1994 and 1995, women searching for work were lured into the veld by the promise of jobs. What they found was terror, orchestrated by Moses Sithole, one of South Africa’s most infamous killers.

From the desperate hope of interviews to taunting phone calls and a sentence that stretched across centuries, this is the story of the “ABC Murders.”

✨ Slide into the shadows with Ayana Noir.

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References:

• BBC News. “South Africa Serial Killer Jailed.” BBC News, 5 Dec 1997.

• Mail & Guardian. “Sithole Gets 2 410 Years.” Mail & Guardian, 6 Dec 1997.

• Shaw, Mark. Crime and Policing in Post-Apartheid South Africa. Indiana University Press, 2002.

• Gordin, Jeremy. A Lifetime of Violence: The Story of South African Serial Killer Moses Sithole. Ashanti Publishing, 1997.

• Smith, David. “Sithole’s Sentence and South Africa’s Serial Killers.” The Guardian, 1997.

• South African Press Association (SAPA). Court coverage and trial reporting, 1995–1997.

• Johannesburg High Court Records, Republic of South Africa v. Moses Sithole, Case Files (1997).