South African police have discovered the bodies of eight women in and around Kempton Park, Gauteng, over the past two months, sparking a major investigation and renewed concern over femicide in the country. All eight victims were women aged between 20 and 38, each found either naked or partially clothed with bruises on their bodies, according to police. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has since announced that a ninth body was found in Dawn Park, raising the total number of victims to nine.
Timeline and Discovery of Victims
As reported by ABC News, the first body was discovered on July 17, naked and bound with cable ties. A suspect believed to be the victim's boyfriend was arrested and remains in custody. Among the identified victims is 38-year-old runner Elizabeth "Tsontso" Moselakgomo, who went missing last week after she did not return from her regular afternoon jog. Her 8-year-old daughter raised the alarm when her mother failed to come home, and her body was found several days later. The youngest victim has been identified as a 20-year-old woman.
Police Weigh Whether Cases Are Linked
Gauteng provincial commissioner Fred Kekana said investigators are considering all possibilities, including the involvement of multiple suspects or entirely separate perpetrators. "Police are comparing the evidence, timelines, locations, victim profiles and circumstances of each case before reaching conclusions," he said. Most of the bodies were found in or around Kempton Park, while more recent discoveries were made in Olifantsfontein and Kwa-Thema, roughly 25 and 34 kilometres from Kempton Park respectively. The body recovered in Olifantsfontein on Tuesday was found naked and in an advanced state of decomposition.
Kekana acknowledged that the proximity of the locations and the similar circumstances surrounding each death were cause for serious concern. "While investigations are still underway and SAPS has not, at this stage, confirmed that the deaths are linked to a serial killer, the similarities are sufficiently concerning for the police to issue a public warning and intensify investigations," he said. Police have offered a cash reward for information related to the murders.
South Africa's Femicide Crisis
The deaths have brought fresh attention to South Africa's persistently high rates of gender-based violence. Between April and July this year, the country recorded 5,427 murders, an average of roughly 45 per day, according to the latest crime statistics. The United Nations agency for gender equality has ranked South Africa among the countries with the highest femicide rates in the world. A 2022 study by a South African think tank found that more than 35% of adult women in the country had experienced physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives.
In a separate incident, Steenberg police rescued a 25-year-old e-hailing driver who was kidnapped and defiled by five suspects in Heathfield, Cape Town. The suspects demanded a R4,000 ransom from the victim's brother before police tracked the victim using his vehicle's GPS tracker. Two female and three male suspects, ranging from 16 to 48 years old, were arrested and face charges at Wynberg Magistrate's Court.
