Ekurhuleni murders: DA offers 500k reward as criminologist says killings fit serial killer pattern
Police and the DA have now offered a combined R900 000 in rewards as the hunt for the killer intensifies.
Itumeleng Kekana, a 32-year-old woman from Mmakwane Village in QwaQwa, disappeared from her home in Kempton Park on 17 July 2026. Her family searched hospitals, police stations, and mortuaries for answers, only finding her remains on 3 August 2026 on Great North Road in Pomona. The discovery made her one of eight women whose bodies had been found in Ekurhuleni since July.
Itumeleng lived and worked in Kempton Park, selling beauty products at a local shop. Her older brother, Themba Kekana, last spoke to her on the morning of her disappearance. On 18 July, his calls stopped going through, and he later found out she had left the previous evening, claiming she was going to meet a client to sell beauty products.
On 3 August, a man discovered Itumeleng's decomposing body with multiple stab wounds near the road. She left behind her parents and a 14-year-old daughter. Police are investigating the case, appealing to families of missing women for assistance, and have deployed specialized investigators and forensic resources to examine the cases.
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