Police in Gauteng have opened an inquest into the death of an unidentified woman whose body was found wrapped in a duvet in a dam in Moroka, Soweto, on Sunday evening. The body was discovered at about 5pm. The woman is believed to be in her 20s. Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the circumstances surrounding the woman's death were not known at this stage.
The discovery comes as police investigate a series of cases involving the bodies of nine women found at different locations in Ekurhuleni over a two-month period. The first woman was found on July 15 in a field in Kempton Park. She was 37 and was found naked with her hands bound with cable ties. A suspect was arrested two days later. Her identity and cause of death have not been publicly disclosed.
On July 17, 32-year-old Itumeleng Kekana went missing in Kempton Park. Her family searched hospitals, police stations and mortuaries before her body was found on August 3 on Great North Road in Pomona. She left behind her parents and a 14-year-old daughter. The police investigation into these cases is ongoing, with authorities appealing for information from the public.
Further bodies were found in the following weeks. On August 24, a 32-year-old woman was found partially clothed near the R21. Her identity and cause of death have not been publicly disclosed. On September 7, the body of a woman believed to be in her late 20s was found in a river in Clayville, near the Mall of Tembisa. She was wearing only her underwear.
On September 10, a woman's body was found near the R21 in Kempton Park. Her family later identified her as 28-year-old Gracious Nkomo. Police said she had been found partially clothed. Around the same time, 38-year-old Elizabeth "Tsontso" Moselakgomo was found dead behind a hotel in Rhodesfield after going out for her usual run. Her family later identified her.
The most recent cases include the discovery of a semi-naked woman with bruising in Olifantsfontein on September 14. She has not been publicly identified. The following day, 38-year-old Dineo Evelyn Motapane was found beside a road in KwaThema, Springs. Preliminary pathology findings indicated that she had been strangled. The ninth woman was found on September 17 in an open area on Lama Street in Villa Lisa, Dawn Park.
Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, said all nine murder cases were receiving priority attention. Three suspects were arrested over the weekend in connection with the ninth victim's murder and are expected to appear before the Boksburg Magistrates' Court on Monday, September 21. The police remain committed to ensuring that these investigations are pursued with urgency and determination.
Key points
- Three suspects were arrested in connection with the murder of the ninth victim.
- The police investigation into the nine cases is ongoing.
- The woman found in the Soweto dam has not been identified.
