The Democratic Alliance has offered a R500,000 reward for information leading to the successful prosecution of those responsible for the deaths of nine women found in Ekurhuleni in less than two months. The party's campaign comes as the metro reels from the discovery of the bodies, prompting an intensified police investigation and growing concern over the safety of women in the area. DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis defended the party's decision, saying large rewards could help investigators obtain information from within criminal networks.
The DA's offer of a reward came days after police announced their own R400,000 reward for information that could lead to arrests in the cases. Deputy national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili said the DA's proposed reward could not be added to the official police reward, citing protocols governing contributions to the police. Mosikili suggested the DA should have rather partnered with the police and collaborated to offer the increased reward.
Hill-Lewis engaged with residents of Ekurhuleni in Tsakane, where he and the party's Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, sought to position the DA as the alternative to what they described as a reactive and failing local government ahead of the 4 November local government elections. Hill-Lewis explained that the party had previously used rewards as a crime-fighting tactic in Cape Town, including a R1-million reward after the murder of a City of Cape Town employee.
The DA's campaign in Ekurhuleni focuses on crime and the collapse of policing, promising to overhaul the metro police, increase visibility in crime hotspots, and subject senior officers to lifestyle audits. Hill-Lewis said the DA wanted greater policing capacity at local level, arguing that metro police departments with the necessary competence and integrity should be able to assist SAPS with investigations.
Hill-Lewis described the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department as "deeply corrupt" and "deeply compromised", and referred to allegations involving the metro police that have emerged at the Madlanga Commission. He argued that additional investigative capacity could help relieve pressure on SAPS detectives, who often carry enormous caseloads.
The DA's proposed changes extend beyond investigations, with a focus on cleaning up and professionalising the EMPD, including requiring every senior officer to undergo a lifestyle audit. The party would also identify crime hotspots and deploy officers accordingly, improve street lighting, and make public transport stations, parks, and pedestrian routes safer.
A DA government in Ekurhuleni would also measure the effectiveness of its interventions, with residents able to see whether more officers were on the streets, whether broken streetlights in high-risk areas were being repaired faster, and whether municipal cameras were operational. Hill-Lewis said residents should be able to see tangible results, month by month, and that the government should be able to show whether things are getting better.
Key points
- The DA has offered a R500,000 reward for information on the Ekurhuleni killings, separate from the police's own R400,000 reward.
- DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has linked the killings to the party's campaign to empower 'trustworthy' metro cops.
- The DA plans to clean up and professionalise the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department if it takes control of the metro.
