Twelve Women Found Dead in South Africa’s Ekurhuleni – A Harrowing Investigation
Police in the Ekurhuleni area east of Johannesburg have confirmed the discovery of twelve bodies, all women, in a span of two months. The bodies were found in locations ranging from Kempton Park to Springs and dressed in varying degrees of clothing, many with bruises or binding evidence.
Three arrests have been announced, none of which appear connected to the other victims, though the police have not ruled out the possibility of a single serial offender. The scale and brutality of the killings have led to widespread alarm, especially among residents of Kempton Park and the broader Johannesburg area.
Case 1 – Busisiwe Mahlangu
Busisiwe Mahlangu, 37, was found naked with her hands bound in Kempton Park on 15 July. The suspect, believed to be her partner, was arrested two days later.
Case 2 – Itumeleng Kekana
Itumeleng Kekana, 32, was found partially clothed and badly bruised on a bridge in Kempton Park on 3 August. No arrests have been reported.
Case 3 – Nomfesane Mjobo
Nomfesane Mjobo’s body was located on 26 August in Kempton Park. She was found partly naked with bruises; authorities have not released further details.
Case 4 – Unknown Woman (Olifantsfontein)
An unidentified woman in her 20s was discovered floating in a river in Olifantsfontein on 7 September, wearing only underwear.
Case 5 – Gracious Nkomo
Nkomo, 28, was found partially clothed in a road near the busy OR Tambo International Airport on 10 September; no arrests have been made.
Case 6 – Elizabeth "Tsontso" Moselakgomo
Moselakgomo, 38, was a devoted runner who went missing during a local jog on 12 September; her body was found badly bruised and partially clothed in Kempton Park.
Case 7 – Unidentified Woman (Olifantsfontein)
Another unidentified woman’s body was found on 14 September in Olifantsfontein; the name remains withheld pending family notification.
Case 8 – Dineo Motapane
Motapane, 38, was discovered battered and partially burned on the side of a road in Springs on 15 September. She left a child behind.
Case 9 – Jabulile Ntimba
Ntimba, in her 30s, was found half-naked wrapped in a sheet on a Boksburg road on 17 September. Police suspect a love triangle; two women are charged with murder.
Case 10 – Ntombifuthi Nxumalo
Nxumalo, 29, was found naked with head injuries at a Tembisa cemetery on 26 September. Stones were near her body, leading authorities to suspect stoning. A 36‑year‑old man was arrested the following day.
Case 11 – Unidentified Woman (Springs)
A security company discovered an unidentified woman's body in a field in Springs on 28 September; no action has been taken yet.
Case 12 – Unidentified Woman (Tembisa & Soweto)
The last victim, a 23‑year‑old shot by an assailant in a suspected robbery, was found in Tembisa. A separate case involved a woman in her 20s found wrapped in a duvet at a dam in Soweto on 20 September.
President Cyril Ramaphosa called the killings a “stain on our national conscience” amid South Africa’s already high homicide rate, with 5,427 murders recorded between April and June alone – and an estimated 569 women killed in that period, about six a day on average.
Police have established a dedicated task team and are offering a reward of 400,000 rand (approximately US$24,000) to anyone who provides actionable information leading to arrests. The investigation continues as authorities seek to uncover whether these killings are connected or random acts of violence.
