‘We cannot continue picking up bodies’: South Africa probes ninth woman’s death in two months

Johannesburg, 17th September — South African police unearthed the ninth female corpse in the past two months, east of Johannesburg, as a series of murders continues to alarm the public. Authorities have enforced a lockdown in Kempton Park, part of the Ekurhuleni municipality, and have set up roadblocks after three of the partially undressed bodies surfaced this week.

Deputy Police Chief Tebello Mosikili expressed to journalists, "We cannot continue picking up bodies" during a press briefing at Dawn Park, where the most recent body was discovered on the roadside. The police have offered a 400,000 rand reward (RM80,800) for any information leading to the apprehension of the assailant or assailants, with the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's second-largest political party, chipping in with US$31,000 (RM121,800).

Mosikili stated that officers would examine whether Thursday's finding was connected to the previous murders or if they were confronting a copycat. Gender-based violence is rampant in South Africa, where one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the United Nations, despite years of government promises to address the issue.

Elizabeth Moselakgomo, a 38-year-old victim, left her eight-year-old daughter at home to go for a jog and never returned. Her remains were discovered on September 12 near a hotel. Her disappearance gained public attention when fellow runners launched a social media campaign to find her, which brought renewed focus to earlier cases and, eventually, the discovery of additional bodies.

The first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found naked and tied with cable ties on July 15. A suspect was apprehended two days later and appeared in court on Wednesday, according to police. Mosikili revealed the man was a foreigner, but could not specify his origin. The second woman, 32 years old, was found partially clothed on August 24, while the third was discovered naked and in a decayed state on September 10.