South Africa on Edge as Body Count Rises to 12 Women Found in Ekurhuleni Since July

Police in South Africa have confirmed that the bodies of three more women were discovered in an area east of Johannesburg over the weekend, pushing the total number of women found dead in the region to 12 since July. The grim tally has left communities in Ekurhuleni reeling and raised urgent questions about whether the killings might be the work of a serial offender.

According to local police, the most recent remains were recovered between Saturday and Monday morning in Ekurhuleni, a sprawling metropolitan municipality that includes the towns of Kempton Park, Springs, Boksburg and Tembisa. The concentration of so many bodies in such a short period — barely two months — has caused widespread alarm, particularly around Kempton Park, where the majority of the victims were found.

Authorities have made arrests in three of the 12 cases, but investigators say those cases do not appear to be connected to one another or to the remaining deaths. Despite this, police have publicly acknowledged that they cannot rule out the possibility that a serial killer is at work. That admission has done little to calm residents, who have watched with growing fear as the discoveries mounted week after week.

The first body was found on 15 July 2026 in Kempton Park. The victim, 37-year-old Busisiwe Mahlangu, was discovered naked with her hands bound with cable ties — a detail that immediately signalled foul play. Police arrested a suspect, understood to be her partner, two days after the killing. He has remained in custody since then and has not been linked to any of the subsequent deaths.

Less than a month later, on 3 August, the body of 32-year-old Itumeleng Kekana was found in the same area. The young mother had disappeared in July, and her remains were discovered badly bruised, partially clothed and dumped on a bridge in Kempton Park. No arrests have been made in connection with her death, leaving her family and community without answers.

The third victim, Nomfesane Mjobo, was found on 26 August, again in Kempton Park. Police have released few details about the circumstances surrounding her death, but they confirmed that, like most of the other victims, she was found partially or fully naked and with visible bruises. As with several other cases, no one has been arrested.

On 7 September, police confirmed the discovery of an unidentified woman in her 20s whose body was found floating in a river in Olifantsfontein, wearing only her underwear. No further information has been shared about how she died, and no arrests have been made — a pattern that has frustrated those calling for swift justice.

Three days later, on 10 September, the partially clothed body of 28-year-old Gracious Nkomo was found along a road close to South Africa's busiest airport, OR Tambo International, which sits in the heart of the affected area. Her death remains unsolved.

The case that truly galvanised public attention was that of Elizabeth "Tsontso" Moselakgomo, a 38-year-old avid runner who went missing while out for her daily run near her home in Kempton Park. A highly publicised nationwide search followed, but it ended in tragedy when her body was found badly bruised and partially clothed on 12 September. Her death sparked memorial runs and protests, with women in Johannesburg taking to the streets to demand action against the epidemic of gender-based violence.

Just two days later, on 14 September, police confirmed another body had been found in Olifantsfontein. The woman's name has been withheld because her family had not yet been informed. No arrests have been made. The discovery brought the count to seven and deepened the sense of crisis enveloping the region.

On 15 September, the body of 38-year-old Dineo Motapane was discovered just two days after she was last seen alive. Her battered and partly burned remains were found on the side of the road in Springs, another part of Ekurhuleni. She leaves behind a young child. No arrests have been made in her case either.

The ninth victim, Jabulile Ntimba, was found on 17 September in Boksburg, half-naked and wrapped in a sheet on the side of a road. In a rare development, three people — two women and a man — were initially arrested for her murder, with police suggesting a possible love triangle may have been the motive. The man was later released due to insufficient evidence, while the two women have been charged with premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice.

On 26 September, the body of Ntombifuthi Nxumalo was discovered at a cemetery in the Tembisa neighbourhood, north-east of central Johannesburg. She was found naked with serious head injuries and stones lying near her body, leading police to suspect she may have been stoned to death. A 36-year-old man was arrested a day later after he had travelled to another province; he faces a murder charge.

The following day, Sunday, the body of an as-yet-unidentified woman was found in Springs — the 11th victim. Then, between Saturday and Monday morning, police confirmed the discovery of three more bodies, bringing the total to 12. The sheer speed with which the bodies have been appearing has overwhelmed local police resources and left women in Ekurhuleni fearing for their safety as they go about their daily lives.

The killings have unfolded against a backdrop of longstanding concern about the extraordinarily high levels of violence against women in South Africa. Advocacy groups have long argued that gender-based violence is a national crisis, with the country recording some of the highest rates of femicide in the world. The latest spate of deaths has reignited calls for stronger policing, better protection for women, and a justice system capable of handling cases swiftly and sensitively.

For now, families across Ekurhuleni are left waiting — for arrests, for answers, and for the funerals of mothers, daughters and partners taken in a wave of violence that shows no sign of abating. Police have urged anyone with information to come forward, while stressing that their investigations remain ongoing. Whether the 12 deaths will ultimately be linked remains unknown, but the fear they have sown in this corner of South Africa is already deeply entrenched.