10th woman found dead in South Africa’s string of killings
South African police on Saturday found another body in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, bringing to 10 the number of women found dead in the municipality over the past two months.
Ten women have been found dead in South Africa's Ekurhuleni municipality over the past two months, raising concerns about violence against women in the country. The latest body, a semi-naked woman found near a cemetery in Tembisa township, is the tenth victim, bringing the total to ten. Police have yet to establish any connection between the killings, but suspect the ninth victim was stoned to death.
A post-mortem examination will determine the exact cause of death. Provincial police chief Tommy Mthombeni vowed to find those responsible and increased the reward for information leading to an arrest to 400,000 rand ($25,000). The first victim was found naked and bound with cable ties on July 15. Some victims showed signs of sexual assault, and the victims were mostly in their 20s and 30s.
Gender-based violence is a significant issue in South Africa, with the national Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Command Centre receiving 6,782 distress calls between September 1 and 16, a 21 percent increase from August. South Africa, a nation of 62 million people, has one of the world's highest murder rates, with over 60 killings a day on average.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
