Olorato Mongale’s friends determined to celebrate the life she lived, not how she died
On Thursday, dozens of mourners gathered at the Hamilton Hall in Bloemfontein, nearly a week after Mongale’s body was found dumped in a field in Lombardy, north of Johannesburg.
Memorial service for slain 30-year-old Olorato Mongale at the Hamilton Hall in Bloemfontein on 29 May 2025. Picture: Mongezi Koko/EWN
BLOEMFONTEIN - Friends of slain 30-year-old Olorato Mongale expressed their determination to celebrate the life she lived, not the brutal way she died.
On Thursday, dozens of mourners gathered at the Hamilton Hall in Bloemfontein, nearly a week after Mongale’s body was found dumped in a field in Lombardy, north of Johannesburg.
ALSO READ:
- Olorato Mongale's family at memorial service: 'She was a light, a force, a joy to know'
- Third suspect identified in Olorato Mongale murder investigation
- Olorato's family calls on men to take a stance against GBV
On the last day she was seen alive, the master’s student went on a date with a man she had recently met, but never returned.
Police found her body hours later and believe her killers may be part of a criminal syndicate linked to robbery and trafficking.
One suspect has since been arrested, while three others remain on the run.
Thursday was about Mongale’s life and the mark she left on everyone who knew her.
Friends, including those who spoke to her hours before she was killed, described her as bold, brilliant, and unapologetically herself.
Video messages and written tributes painted a portrait of a trailblazer who laughed with her whole body and never showed up half-hearted.
She was nearly done completing her master’s studies in journalism.
Her friends said that her energy lingered long after she left the room, her laughter, her presence, and her purpose impossible to ignore.
While the hunt for her killers continues, her loved ones said that Thursday was about reclaiming her story from the horror that stole it.