Gauteng Women Deaths: Police Confirm Seven Bodies Under Investigation

The number of women whose deaths are being investigated in Gauteng has risen to seven after police confirmed that a body recovered from a Clayville river has been added to the probe. The unidentified woman, believed to have been in her late 20s, was discovered near Tembisa Mall on 7 September. Acting Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said she was found naked but was still wearing her underwear.

Police only established that the Clayville case could form part of the wider investigation after learning about the other bodies recovered in the province. Kekana said investigators returned to their respective police stations after the initial discoveries before the earlier Clayville case came to light. The development has prompted the broader investigative team to include the body in its work.

Gauteng Women Deaths: Clayville Body Added To Police Investigation

“After noticing that bodies had been recovered, we returned to our police stations. Unfortunately, it came to light that on the 7th of this month, the body of a woman in her late 20s was found in the river in Clayville, next to Tembisa Mall,” he said.

“Therefore, this body will also be included as part of those to be investigated by the whole team.

“Therefore, we don’t have six bodies. This one will be included as the seventh body.”

Kekana said investigators would examine all available information to determine whether the cases have any connection.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Bellville Police Raid Under IPID Investigation After Nigerian Man Dies And Resident Is Shot

The latest development comes as police investigate the deaths of women whose bodies have been discovered in Kempton Park and other parts of Ekurhuleni. Detectives are continuing to assess the circumstances surrounding each death.

The investigation also includes the discovery of a woman's body in KwaThema, Springs, on Tuesday. Kekana said a preliminary assessment by a pathologist indicated that the woman appeared to have been strangled around the neck.

“The pathologist who examined the body gave a preliminary report that the woman appears to have been strangled around the neck. That’s what we have for now,” Kekana said.

A post-mortem examination was expected to take place on Wednesday. Kekana said investigators were continuing to work through evidence that could potentially assist in establishing what happened.

“What I can assure you is that the team is hard at work, and we are doing all we can to link anything that can assist,” he said.

Gauteng Women Deaths: KwaThema Residents Raise Safety Fears

KwaThema is approximately 45km from Kempton Park, where several women have been found dead in recent weeks. Residents said the woman discovered in KwaThema had no clothes on and appeared to have been dead for several days before her body was found. The discovery has heightened concerns among community members about women's safety in the area.

Resident Zanele Shabalala said people were alerted after a local woman shared a photograph of the discovery in a community WhatsApp group. She said residents subsequently went to the area after hearing that a woman had been killed. Shabalala said residents asked police to allow them to see the scene because children in the community regularly move around the area.

“About 6am to 7am, we got the call that there’s a lady who was killed here,” Shabalala said.

“When we got here, we found the body of a woman with no clothes on. We requested the police that we see because we have children, and our children are going anywhere they want to go. So we then went to see.”

Shabalala said the circumstances of the woman's death were disturbing to residents. She said the community did not know who was responsible or what had been used to kill the woman. Residents also believed the body may have been left in the area after the woman had already died.

“Whoever has done this, I wish God could expose him because the woman was naked. You can’t see what it is that they used to kill her. You don’t know what it is that they used, but she’s dead.”

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: SARS Seizes 26,000 Litres Of Illicit Ethanol In Gauteng Raid, Prevents R9.1 Million Tax Loss

“You find that she died five or three days ago. And whoever killed this lady, he dumped her here around the time when it was raining, around past three to four in the morning.”

Shabalala said the discovery had left women in the community fearful. She appealed to government authorities to intervene and address residents' concerns about their safety.

“We don’t know, but remember he’s a child of a parent. And we feel what is happening as women. We are afraid. We are afraid as women. We don’t know because even when we are at home, they come even at home. So we are afraid. We are no longer safe in this community.”

“We call on the government to do something so that we can be free as women.”

Gauteng Women Deaths: Police Say No Link Confirmed Yet

Shabalala raised concerns about possible similarities between the KwaThema death and cases involving women found dead in Kempton Park. She said residents were worried that the cases could potentially involve the same perpetrator. However, police have stressed that investigators have not established a link between the cases at this stage.

“The South African Police Service is saying they don’t want to say they have a serial killer on the loose. But they are also not giving out the point that he might have a serial killer on the loose.”

“Because one of the policemen also said this, what happened here is one of the things that happened in Kempton Park. So it’s almost the same. So it means it’s one person who’s doing this.”

Shabalala also questioned whether all the victims were from the communities where their bodies were found. She said DNA testing could potentially establish the identities and origins of some of the victims.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Mel Viljoen Bodycam Footage Shows Her Defending Husband Peet During US Shoplifting Investigation ‘He Thought I Was Shopping’

“It’s because, what I can say is, this person, people, don’t stay here. They are not coming from God’s land. When they can do the DNA test, you find that this person is not residing here. She’s coming somewhere. They’re coming somewhere, then they come and die.”

Ward 78 councillor Sizwe Nhleko said he was called to the KwaThema scene after the body was discovered. He said residents contacted police, who later assessed the area and determined that the woman may have been killed elsewhere before her body was brought there.

“On our arrival, we then started calling the police to tell them that there’s a body that is here,” Nhleko said.

“So the police arrived, and then when they started investigating the area, they discovered that the incident never happened here. The body was dumped by someone. She might have died somewhere and then been moved again to this place.”

Nhleko said the woman was naked and her body had already begun to decompose. He added that authorities were increasingly concerned about possible illegal activities taking place in the area.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said detectives were still examining evidence before determining whether the deaths were connected. She said police were also considering whether the cases involved one perpetrator, multiple perpetrators or potentially copycat crimes.

“We are still investigating whether we are dealing with one perpetrator or a group of men behind these murders. Could it be that a copycat crime is happening right here? So far, there are no linkages yet, and we are not going to rush the investigation because we need to ensure that we get it right,” Mathe said.

“This is not an investigation that you can rush because it is quite complex. It involves a lot of women and, at this stage, it may indicate multiple perpetrators. But let us leave it to the detectives because we want the detectives to give us the real perpetrators.”

Mathe urged the public to allow investigators time to establish the facts surrounding each case. She warned that rushing the investigation could result in mistakes or the arrest of the wrong people.

“If we put them under pressure to speed up the investigations, we might make mistakes, and we do not want to arrest the wrong people.”

She acknowledged the anxiety among residents and said additional police resources were being deployed in Gauteng. Mathe said increased visibility, capacity and specialised resources would support the provincial investigation.

“We understand their concerns and anxiety. The situation cannot continue and be left unabated. There must be something that is done. On our side, we are increasing visibility, resources and capacity, as well as bringing in specialised resources to support the province of Gauteng.”

Mathe said Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia would lead a high-level delegation and meet with SAPS experts. Police will also engage private security companies and protection associations as part of the response.

“Now is not the time to blame games,” Mathe said.

The wider investigation includes five women whose bodies were found in and around Kempton Park. The first was a 37-year-old woman discovered near the R21 on 15 July, while a 32-year-old woman was found near the same road on 24 August. Both cases are being investigated, with a suspect arrested in connection with the first case remaining in custody.

On 10 September, an unidentified woman was found near Rhodesfield in Kempton Park in an advanced state of decomposition. She was partially clothed. Two days later, the body of a 38-year-old woman was discovered in Rhodesfield behind a hotel.

The Rhodesfield victim was later identified by her family as Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo. She had disappeared on 10 September after leaving her Kempton Park home for her regular afternoon run, with her eight-year-old daughter raising the alarm after she failed to return.

Moselakgomo's remains were positively identified by her family at the Germiston Forensic Pathology Service facility. A fifth body was subsequently discovered along the R21 near Olifantsfontein on 14 September, with formal identification still outstanding.

Kekana said the woman found in KwaThema also appeared to have been in her 30s. Investigators will now work to determine whether there are any links between the seven cases while continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding each death.