The discovery of eight women’s bodies across Ekurhuleni since July has renewed fears of a possible serial killer, but police have yet to establish whether the cases are connected. As the investigation intensifies, the deaths have also reopened a much older national wound: South Africa’s ongoing crisis of gender-based violence and femicide.
South Africa is once again confronting a question that has become painfully familiar: how many women have to die before the country treats their safety as an emergency?
The number of women whose bodies have been discovered across Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, has now risen to eight. The cases, recorded between July and September, have prompted a specialised police investigation, a R400,000 reward for information and growing public fears that a serial killer could be operating in the area.
But there is an important distinction: police have not confirmed that the deaths are the work of a serial killer.
Authorities are investigating the cases collectively because of similarities in where some of the bodies were found and the circumstances surrounding several of the deaths. Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane confirmed that eight cases are now being investigated. Most of the women were found partially clothed or naked, and several had visible bruising.
The first known case dates back to 15 July, when the body of a 37-year-old woman was found in an open field near the R21 in Kempton Park. She was reportedly found naked and restrained with cable ties, and a suspect, reportedly her partner, was arrested in connection with that murder.
On 24 August, the body of a 32-year-old woman was discovered near the R21. She was partially clothed.
Another woman, believed to be in her late twenties, was found in a river near Clayville and Tembisa Mall in early September. Her body was found wearing only underwear. Police subsequently added the case to the wider investigation.
Other bodies were discovered in Kempton Park, Rhodesfield, Olifantsfontein and Kwa-Thema. One woman was found in an advanced state of decomposition, while another was found partially naked and bruised after her body was spotted by a passerby. The most recent discovery was a 35-year-old woman found in Kwa-Thema on 15 September.
Of the eight women, only two have been formally identified so far.
One of them is 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, whose disappearance had prompted a community search after she failed to return from her usual run. Her family later identified her remains.
Is there a serial killer?
That is the question dominating public conversation, particularly after several bodies were found within the same broader geographical area.
Police, however, have been careful not to make that conclusion.
The South African Police Service has established a multidisciplinary team involving specialised detectives, forensic experts, crime intelligence, tracking resources, K9 units and the Investigative Psychology Unit. The purpose is to establish whether there are connections between the cases.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has also cautioned against speculation, saying investigators need to follow the evidence rather than publicly connect cases before those links have been established.
There are now two significant investigative leads. One suspect has been arrested in connection with the first murder, while police are also pursuing a separate person of interest. Authorities have not confirmed that either individual is connected to all eight deaths.
Police have offered R400,000 for information that could lead to arrests. Operation Shanela is also being expanded in Kempton Park and surrounding areas, with authorities promising increased police visibility.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called the killings a priority and directed law enforcement to establish what happened and bring those responsible to justice.
For women living in the affected communities, however, the investigation is unfolding against a much bigger reality.
These eight women are not the first
South Africa has spent years mourning women whose deaths became symbols of a wider crisis.
In 2017, 22-year-old Karabo Mokoena was murdered by her former boyfriend, Sandile Mantsoe, who was later sentenced to 32 years in prison. Her body was found burned and dumped in an open field in Johannesburg.
In 2019, the murder and rape of 19-year-old Uyinene Mrwetyana, a University of Cape Town student, sparked nationwide outrage and mass protests. Her death came alongside the killing of boxer Leighandre Jegels, among other women whose murders intensified calls for government action.
In 2020, 28-year-old Tshegofatso Pule, who was eight months pregnant, was murdered by her boyfriend, Ntuthuko Shoba, who was later sentenced to life imprisonment.
There were others: Hillary Gardee, Nosicelo Mtebeni, Namhla Mtwa, Dimpho Skelenge and many more. President Ramaphosa himself referenced several of these women at the Second Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, acknowledging the continuing deaths of women at the hands of men.
Their names have remained part of South Africa's national conversation because behind every statistic is a person who had a family, friendships, plans and a life that was supposed to continue.
And that is what makes the Ekurhuleni deaths particularly unsettling.
We have shut down before
South Africa's anger over gender-based violence has previously spilled into the streets.
In August 2018, women and gender-nonconforming people participated in The Total Shutdown, a nationwide protest demanding stronger action against gender-based violence. The movement brought thousands of people into the streets and placed GBV firmly at the centre of the national agenda.
Then came 2019, when the murders of Uyinene Mrwetyana, Leighandre Jegels and other women prompted marches and the now-familiar cry of #AmINext.
And most recently, on 21 November 2025, Women For Change called for a national shutdown ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit. Women and members of the LGBTQI+ community were encouraged to stop paid and unpaid work and participate in a 15-minute standstill to protest GBV and femicide.
That shutdown came with an important demand: that government formally recognise gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster.
The following day, GBVF was formally classified as a national disaster under the Disaster Management Act. President Ramaphosa had also described GBVF as a national crisis at the G20 Social Summit.
That distinction matters.
Declaring GBVF a national disaster was intended to enable a more coordinated and urgent state response. The government already had a National Strategic Plan on GBVF, adopted in 2020, focused on prevention, the criminal justice response and support for survivors.
Yet less than a year after that declaration, eight women are dead in one metropolitan area and investigators are still trying to establish exactly how their deaths are connected.
The crisis is bigger than Ekurhuleni
The eight cases should not be treated as evidence that every murder of a woman in South Africa is connected. Nor should the possibility of a serial killer overshadow the broader reality of femicide.
The current investigation will have to establish whether these women were killed by one person, multiple perpetrators, people acting independently or whether some of the cases are unrelated.
But whatever that investigation ultimately finds, the deaths sit within a country that has been confronting violence against women for decades.
A 2025 Human Sciences Research Council study cited this week reported that 27% of women had experienced physical or sexual violence by a non-partner since the age of 15.
The question, then, is not simply whether South Africa has a serial killer problem.
It is also what it means that women continue to disappear, to be found murdered and to become names in another national conversation about violence.
The government has declared GBVF a national disaster. The country has marched. Women have shut down their work. Families have searched for daughters, sisters, mothers and friends. Communities have organised their own searches and safety networks.
And now, eight families are waiting for answers.
For the women of Ekurhuleni, the immediate question is who is responsible.
For the rest of the country, the harder question is what happens after the headlines disappear.
Recent stories by:
Sindeka Mandoyi
Burnout or Boredom? signs it's time to look for a new job or career
Female desire explained: What women really want and why
‘Why Did I Get Married Again?’ Has viewers asking: Did we really need another one?
The best-dressed stars at Netflix’s 10-Year celebration
Why blue-light glasses are suddenly the coolest fashion accessory
GLAMOUR Recommends
Botlhale Boikanyo announced as the UNFPA’s new regional champion
Women In Charge: Bonang Matheba reflects on mother’s day, matriarchs and South African women
Mihlali Ndamase celebrates life without kids—Why are women still judged for not choosing motherhood?
Purple takes over South Africa: National shutdown calls for action on gender based violence
