In just 54 days, police in the Ekurhuleni area east of Johannesburg have confirmed 12 female bodies have been discovered, raising alarms across the region.
The first victim, Busisiwe Mahlangu, was found on 15 July in Kempton Park. She lay naked with her hands bound; police detained her partner a day later. No link has been found between her case and the others.
Following her, several more women were found in quick succession: Itumeleng Kekana (3 Aug), Nomfesane Mjobo (26 Aug), an unnamed woman found in a river on 7 Sep, and Gracious Nkomo (10 Sep) near Johannesburg’s busiest airport. All cases involved manslaughter, often with bruising or partial nudity, and no arrests have connected them.
From late September into early October a further eight victims were uncovered, including Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, a runner who vanished while jogging; Dineo Motapane, burned and severed in a roadside robbery; Jabulile Ntimba, whose death was tied to a love‑triangle dispute; and Ntombifuthi Nxumalo, who was found with head injuries and nearby stones, leading police to suspect stoning.
Two women with no names, found in Springs (11 Sep) and a dam in Soweto (20 Sep), were also among the 12 victims. Both were shot, and links between these murders and the others remain unclear.
President Cyril Ramaphosa described the killings as “a stain on our national conscience.” Police have established a dedicated task team and are offering a 400,000‑rand reward for information that could lead to arrests.
South Africa’s homicide statistics are alarmingly high, with 5,427 murders registered between April and June this year, and the South African Human Rights Commission reporting 569 women killed in that period alone—a daily average of six female victims.
