In a shocking turn of events, police in the East Rand province of South Africa have announced that the bodies of twelve women have been found in the Ekurhuleni region since mid‑July. The victims, all female, ranged in age from the 20s to the 40s, and most were discovered partially naked with signs of bruising or other injuries.
Since the first discovery on 15 July, investigators have identified a total of twelve victims, from Busisiwe Mahlangu to Boitumelo Gift Mashita, and the cases span from oil slick findings in a dam to a body wrapped in a duvet in Soweto.
Police say that arrests have been made in three separate cases, but investigators cannot rule out that a serial killer may be responsible. The second case involved a man charged with the murder of Jabulile Ntimba, who had been found wrapped in a sheet, while a third suspect has been released due to insufficient evidence.
In a move to curb impunity, President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the killings as a “stain on our national conscience”, and the police task force has offered a R400,000 reward for any information linking the murders.
The region’s homicide rate remains alarming, with a total of 5,427 people killed between April and June of this year alone. The South African Human Rights Commission estimates that 569 women were murdered in that period, an average of six a day.
These killings have brought renewed focus to the country’s high rate of crime against women, prompting calls for stronger protective measures and community outreach programmes.
