Tenth woman's body found in South Africa suburb as police probe killings

Police in Johannesburg, South Africa have discovered a woman's body, the tenth to be found in recent months, in a cemetery in the Tembisa neighbourhood, north-east of central Johannesburg. The body was identified by a friend who recognized her clothes from a night out with the woman at a bar the previous evening. Local police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni stated that while the force could not rule out the possibility of a serial killer, there were similarities in the 10 deaths in Ekurhuleni and Soweto.

The deaths have sparked a national outcry regarding the scale of violence against women, a problem with one of the highest rates in the world. The victim's friend told the national broadcaster SABC that she was devastated at the prospect of informing the woman's children about her death. Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni said it was too early to determine if the latest death was linked to the others, but noted that the other bodies shared a similar victimology, indicating a possible modus operandi of killing.

South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates, with 5,427 people murdered between April and June this year alone. However, the nature of the recent killings around Johannesburg has left many women in the city reeling from the growing death toll. The other 9 bodies were found in similar circumstances since July, mostly in Kempton Park, with the victims being young women who had suffered extreme violence before their deaths.

Three men appeared in court earlier this week, accused of involvement in one of the nine murders, as police continue to track down others who may have been involved.