BREAKING | Seventh woman found dead in Gauteng as Kempton Park probe widens - IOL

A sixth woman’s body was discovered in Kwa-Thema, Springs, raising fresh concerns over the safety of women in Ekurhuleni.

Police have confirmed that the death toll in the investigation into the bodies of women found in Gauteng has risen to seven.

The latest victim was found in a river in Clayville, next to Tembisa Mall, on September 7.

Acting Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said the woman was believed to be in her late 20s and was found naked, although she was still wearing her underwear.

Kekana said police only became aware that the Clayville case should be included in the investigation after the recovery of the other bodies.

“After noticing that bodies had been recovered, we returned to our police stations. Unfortunately, it came to light that on the 7th of this month, the body of a woman in her late 20s was found in the river in Clayville, next to Tembisa Mall,” he said.

“Therefore, this body will also be included as part of those to be investigated by the whole team.

“Therefore, we don’t have six bodies. This one will be included as the seventh body.”

Kekana said investigators would leave no stone unturned as they worked to establish whether the cases were connected.

The latest development comes as police investigate the deaths of women whose bodies have been found in and around Kempton Park and other parts of Ekurhuleni.

Kekana also provided an update on the woman whose body was found on the side of the road in KwaThema, Springs, on Tuesday.

He said a pathologist’s preliminary assessment indicated that she appeared to have been strangled around the neck.

“The pathologist who examined the body gave a preliminary report that the woman appears to have been strangled around the neck. That’s what we have for now,” Kekana said.

He said a post-mortem examination was expected to take place on Wednesday.

“What I can assure you is that the team is hard at work, and we are doing all we can to link anything that can assist,” he said.

KwaThema is about 45km from Kempton Park.

Spring residents said the woman had no clothes on and appeared to have been dead for several days.

Resident Zanele Shabalala said residents were alerted to the discovery by a local woman, who shared a photograph in a community WhatsApp group.

“About 6am to 7am, we got the call that there’s a lady who was killed here,” Shabalala said.

“When we got here, we found the body of a woman with no clothes on. We requested the police that we see because we have children, and our children are going anywhere they want to go. So we then went to see.”

Shabalala said the woman appeared to have died violently.

“Whoever has done this, I wish God could expose him because the woman was naked. You can’t see what it is that they used to kill her. You don’t know what it is that they used, but she’s dead.”

She said residents believed the woman may have died several days earlier and that her body could have been dumped in the area during the early hours of the morning.

“You find that she died five or three days ago. And whoever killed this lady, he dumped her here around the time when it was raining, around past three to four in the morning.”

Shabalala said residents did not know who could be responsible.

“We don’t know, but remember he’s a child of a parent. And we feel what is happening as women. We are afraid. We are afraid as women. We don’t know because even when we are at home, they come even at home. So we are afraid. We are no longer safe in this community.”

She called on the government to intervene.

“We call on the government to do something so that we can be free as women.”

Shabalala said residents were concerned about possible similarities between the KwaThema case and the deaths of women in Kempton Park.

“The South African Police Service is saying they don’t want to say they have a serial killer on the loose. But they are also not giving out the point that he might have a serial killer on the loose.”

She said she believed the cases could be linked.

“Because one of the policemen also said this, what happened here is one of the things that happened in Kempton Park. So it’s almost the same. So it means it’s one person who’s doing this.”

Shabalala also suggested that some of the victims may have come from outside the communities where their bodies were found.

“It’s because, what I can say is, this person, people, don’t stay here. They are not coming from God’s land. When they can do the DNA test, you find that this person is not residing here. She’s coming somewhere. They’re coming somewhere, then they come and die.”

Ward 78 councillor Sizwe Nhleko said he was called to the scene after the body was discovered.

“On our arrival, we then started calling the police to tell them that there’s a body that is here,” Nhleko said.

He said police subsequently determined that the woman was probably not killed at the location where her body was found.

“So the police arrived, and then when they started investigating the area, they discovered that the incident never happened here. The body was dumped by someone. She might have died somewhere and then been moved again to this place.”

Nhleko said the body was naked and had started to decompose.

He added that authorities were increasingly concerned about possible illegal activity in the area.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said investigators were still analysing evidence to establish whether the deaths were connected.

“We are still investigating whether we are dealing with one perpetrator or a group of men behind these murders. Could it be that a copycat crime is happening right here? So far, there are no linkages yet, and we are not going to rush the investigation because we need to ensure that we get it right,” Mathe said.

“This is not an investigation that you can rush because it is quite complex. It involves a lot of women and, at this stage, it may indicate multiple perpetrators. But let us leave it to the detectives because we want the detectives to give us the real perpetrators.”

Mathe urged the public to be patient while detectives work to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

“If we put them under pressure to speed up the investigations, we might make mistakes, and we do not want to arrest the wrong people.”

She acknowledged concerns among residents and said police were increasing resources in Gauteng.

“We understand their concerns and anxiety. The situation cannot continue and be left unabated. There must be something that is done. On our side, we are increasing visibility, resources and capacity, as well as bringing in specialised resources to support the province of Gauteng.”

Mathe said acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia would lead a high-level delegation and meet with experts within the SAPS.

She said police would also engage private security companies and protection associations.

“Now is not the time to blame games,” Mathe said.

The KwaThema discovery follows the deaths of five women whose bodies were found in and around Kempton Park.

The first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found near the R21 on July 15. 

She was naked and had been restrained with cable ties. 

A suspect was arrested two days later and remains in custody.

A second body, belonging to a 32-year-old woman, was found near the R21 on August 24. She had visible bruises and was partially clothed.

On September 10, the body of an unidentified woman was found near Rhodesfield in Kempton Park in an advanced state of decomposition. She was also partially clothed.

Two days later, on September 12, the body of a 38-year-old woman was found in Rhodesfield, behind a hotel. 

She was wearing sports clothing and was partially clothed.

The remains were later identified as those of Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo.

Moselakgomo disappeared on September 10 after leaving her Kempton Park home for her routine afternoon run. 

Her eight-year-old daughter raised the alarm after her mother failed to return home at her usual time, prompting relatives to realise that something was wrong.

Her body was positively identified by her family at the Germiston Forensic Pathology Service facility.

A fifth body was discovered on September 14 along the R21 near Olifantsfontein. The remains are still subject to formal identification.

Mathe said the woman whose body was found in KwaThema also appeared to be in her 30s.