A half‑naked woman in her thirties was discovered on Thursday morning in Dawn Park, east of Johannesburg, wrapped in a sheet and bearing bruises and stab wounds.
The body, the ninth to be recovered in the Ekurhuleni area since mid‑July, has not yet been identified, but its discovery has heightened fear among local residents, particularly women who say they no longer feel safe venturing out.
The earlier victims include 38‑year‑old Elizabeth "Tsontso" Moselakgomo, whose body was found behind a hotel in Kempton Park after she vanished during an afternoon run, and Dineo Evelyn Motapane, also 38, whose remains were located by the roadside in KwaThema.
Another case, Itumeleng Kekana, has been missing since July. The first of the nine bodies was recovered on 15 July in Kempton Park, prompting the arrest of a suspect two days later; that individual remains in custody but has not been linked to the subsequent deaths.
Police have assembled a multidisciplinary team of detectives, intelligence officers and forensic experts, and are pursuing a person of interest whose connection to any specific case has not been disclosed.
President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged that "no stone will be left unturned" in the hunt for those responsible, while Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi warned that authorities were prepared to act decisively.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia cautioned the public against drawing premature conclusions, describing the incidents as potentially distinct events.
Police have issued safety advice to women, urging them to avoid solitary walks, stay on well‑lit routes, remain alert to strangers and suspicious vehicles, share travel plans with trusted contacts and refrain from using loud earphones that could impair situational awareness.
The killings occur against a backdrop of some of the world’s highest rates of gender‑based violence; UN Women reports that South African women are killed at a rate five times the global average.
In November last year, the government classified violence against women as a national disaster after nationwide protests. To encourage information, authorities have offered a reward of 400,000 rand (approximately $24,000) for leads that could lead to arrests.
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Category: International
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