Documentary on convicted ex-Blue Bulls player Joseph Ntshongwana set for the small screen

Showmax is set to release a documentary on former Blue Bulls player Joseph Ntshongwana.

Titled The Durban Axe Murderer: The Rugby Killer, the first episode of the documentary will air on July 31.

In March 2011, a series of horrific murders terrified the people of KwaZulu-Natal. Over just a few days, four people were attacked on the streets and butchered with an axe. Some of his victims were 

Ntshongwana was sentenced to five life terms for rape and murder. He lost his appeal against his convictions after trying to argue he suffered from mental illness.

Dubbed the “Axeman”, Ntshongwana, was sentenced in 2014.

Speaking to TshisaLIVE Amanda Tremeer from Showmax said they were looking for sports stories which resonated with the South African audience. It felt like the Durban axe murderer case was widely covered by the media as it unfolded.

“But some sides of it hadn't been explored yet. It had a lot of surprising elements but there was more to be unfolded and this is the main reason we chose to cover it,” she said.

“It was an extremely fast turnaround for a documentary. It took about 10 working days with separate crews and entailed quite a lot of reconstruction, as there wasn't much archive [material] available to cover the story”, said Tremeer.

When asked about the challenges they encountered while shooting The Durban Murderer, she said: “I would say it was quite hard to reach out to and track down the family members of the victims and there were many concerns from their behalf about speaking to the media as they felt that their story had been 'forgotten' before.”

Murder victim Paulus Hlongwa's wife Fikile Mkhwanazi was “extremely touching and brave” during her interview, Tremeer said.

“We also felt it was important to present what challenges Ntshongwana may have faced as a black rugby player in those times and explain how hard it would have been for his family to deal with his condition.”