Police have confirmed the discovery of an eighth woman’s body in Ekurhuleni since July, pushing the death toll in a widening murder investigation across the metro to a level authorities are now calling a national crisis.
The bodies have surfaced across Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein, Clayville and KwaThema over roughly two months, with most of the women found bruised and partially undressed. Of the eight women found dead, only two have so far been identified by police. The most recent addition to the count was a woman found in Clayville on 7 September, whose case investigators later folded into the broader Ekurhuleni probe, taking the confirmed number to seven before an eighth was confirmed days later.
The first victim, a 37 year old woman, was found in Kempton Park on 15 July, and a suspect was arrested two days later. Two more bodies turned up in Kempton Park in August, and on 10 September police found another woman, naked and badly decomposed, in the same area. On 12 September, 38 year old Elizabeth Moselakgomo went for a jog after leaving her eight year old daughter at home. She never returned, and her body was later found behind a hotel.
01/05
Get seen where South Africa reads.
Homepage, category & newsletter placements.
02/05
Own the homepage. Just for a day.
Takeovers & sponsored placements, built to spec.
03/05
Don't wait for the 6 o'clock news.
Follow The Baseline on Facebook.
04/05
Straight to your phone. Before anyone else's.
Follow The Baseline on WhatsApp Channels.
05/05
News, refined.
No noise. Just the story.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia announced on Tuesday that authorities plan to lock down parts of Ekurhuleni, particularly Kempton Park and its surrounds, as an expanded Operation Shanela ramps up law enforcement presence in the area. A R400,000 reward has been offered for information leading to arrests, and a dedicated investigative team has been set up to probe the killings.
“The discovery of the bodies of eight young women who have been murdered is deeply distressing for all of us,” Cachalia said.
Police have been careful not to draw premature conclusions about a single perpetrator. SAPS has cautioned against assuming all eight deaths were committed by the same person or group, with investigators still examining forensic evidence and the circumstances of each case individually.
The killings have reignited longstanding frustration over South Africa’s response to gender-based violence. Fatima Shaik, executive director of People Opposing Women Abuse, said the scale of the deaths should be a wake-up call for the country.
“One death is one death too many,” Shaik said.
She argued that gender-based violence has already been declared a national crisis, and that the declaration needs to translate into concrete action on policing, resourcing and accountability for perpetrators.
Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane said identifying the six unnamed victims remains a priority, since names could help investigators follow specific leads. Police have not disclosed further details about the eighth victim, including her age or where her body was found.
