Police in Gauteng have found a tenth woman's body in recent months, discovered in a cemetery in Tembisa and identified by a friend who had been with her the night before. Authorities note similarities in victim profiles and a possible shared modus operandi among cases in Ekurhuleni and a separate incident in Soweto, but say it is too early to confirm a serial killer. The killings have sparked national outrage amid South Africa's high rates of gender-based violence and renewed calls for urgent action.
Tenth Woman Found Dead Near Johannesburg as Police Probe Possible Pattern in Killings
File photo of South African Police Service officers in Johannesburg [Getty Images]
Police in Gauteng have discovered the body of a tenth woman in recent months, this time in a cemetery in the Tembisa neighbourhood north-east of central Johannesburg. A friend who said she had been with the woman at a bar the previous evening identified the victim by the clothes she was wearing.
Investigation Underway
Gauteng provincial police said crime-scene investigators were collecting evidence at the scene. Officials have not yet publicly named the victim.
Gauteng Police Commissioner Lt Gen Tommy Mthombeni cautioned that it is still too early to say whether the death is linked to the others, but he noted similarities in "victimology" and a possible shared "modus operandi" among the recent cases in Ekurhuleni and a related incident in Soweto. "For now, it's not something which we can overrule to say there's a serial killer, but we cannot conclusively indicate as such," he told reporters.
Community Impact and National Outcry
The string of discoveries, many involving young women who had suffered severe violence before their deaths, has provoked national anger and fear. The cases have intensified pressure on the national government, which declared gender-based violence a national disaster less than a year ago.
"I don't know what I'm going to say to her children," said the friend who identified the victim, wiping away tears. "It's painful."
Context and Numbers
South Africa records one of the world's highest homicide rates. Official figures show 5,427 people were murdered between April and June this year. The South African Human Rights Commission reported that, in the same period, 569 women were killed and 1,052 women survived attempted murder.
Earlier this week, three men appeared in court accused of involvement in one of the earlier murders; police said they are continuing to track down others who may be implicated.
What Authorities Ask Of The Public
Police have urged anyone with information about recent disappearances or suspicious activity around Tembisa and Kempton Park to come forward. Investigators say corroborating witness accounts, CCTV footage and forensic evidence will be crucial to establishing whether the cases are linked.
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