Police in South Africa have discovered the body of a woman in Ekurhuleni, to the east of Johannesburg, bringing the total number of women found dead in the area to ten. The body was found on Saturday morning and identified by a friend who had been with the victim at a bar the previous evening. The local police commissioner stated that the force cannot rule out the possibility of a serial killer on the loose, citing similarities across the ten deaths.
The latest body was discovered at a cemetery in the Tembisa neighborhood, north-east of central Johannesburg. Police issued a statement saying crime scene investigators were at the scene gathering evidence. The victim has not been publicly identified. The woman's friend told national broadcaster SABC that she recognized her friend's clothes from the previous night when shown a picture of the body. The friend expressed her pain and concern, saying she didn't know what to tell the victim's children.
Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni stated that it was too early to determine if the woman's death was linked to the others. He noted that the other bodies shared similar characteristics, indicating a shared modus operandi, which would allow police to determine if this latest death was linked to the others. Mthombeni said that while it's not something they can rule out, they also cannot conclusively indicate that a serial killer is on the loose.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, with 5,427 people murdered between April and June this year alone. However, it is the nature of the recent killings around Johannesburg that has left many women reeling from the growing death toll. The ten other bodies were found in similar circumstances to one another since July, mostly in Kempton Park, one neighborhood over from Tembisa.
Many of the bodies were those of young women, and almost all had suffered extreme violence prior to their deaths. The deaths have increased pressure on the national government, less than a year after ministers declared gender-based violence a national disaster. The South African Human Rights Commission reported that 569 women were killed and 1,052 others survived attempted murder between April and June this year.
Three men appeared in court earlier this week, accused of being involved in one of the nine prior murders, with police working to track down others who may have been involved. The national government is facing criticism for its handling of the situation, with many calling for more action to be taken to address the issue of violence against women.
The discovery of the tenth body has sparked a national outcry about the scale of violence against women in South Africa. The police are working to determine if there is a serial killer on the loose and to bring those responsible to justice. The community is on high alert, and many are calling for increased measures to be taken to protect women and prevent further killings.
Key points
- The tenth body of a woman was found in Ekurhuleni, near Johannesburg, bringing the total number of women found dead in the area to ten.
- The police are investigating the possibility of a serial killer on the loose, citing similarities across the ten deaths.
- The killings have sparked a national outcry about the scale of violence against women in South Africa, with many calling for more action to be taken to address the issue.
