SOUTH AFRICA KEMPTON PARK MURDERS: POLICE AUTHORITIES DISCOVER SEVENTH BODY OF WOMAN IN GAUTENG PROVINCE
Acting Gauteng Police Commissioner Major-General Fred Kekana confirmed on 7 September that a seventh woman’s body had been recovered from a river in Clayville, near the Mall of Thembisa, adding the latest discovery to an investigation that has now drawn intervention from South Africa’s highest levels of government.
Additional reference context is available at https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/articles/cqj9xrnw1wlwo.
The find brings to seven the total number of women’s bodies recovered in Ekurhuleni since July. Four of those seven were found within just the past few days. That pace forced the hand of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who directed police to urgently investigate and solve the murders. South Africa’s acting Minister for Police, Firoz Cachalia, expressed serious concern and sent condolences to the families of victims following the discovery of the sixth body.
Cachalia was direct about the stakes. “Di discovery of multiple women wey dem murder for di Kempton Park area dey deeply disturbing. While di investigation gatz establish weda di cases dey linked, di possibility say di perpetrators fit dey target women demand our urgent and determined attention,” he said. He announced that acting national commissioner of the South African Police, General Puleng Dimpane, would meet with the investigating team to review progress and ensure all necessary resources and operational support are provided.
Meanwhile, police authorities have urged the public to cooperate while cautioning against unverified claims. National Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe told reporters on Tuesday that the sixth body was discovered in the Katema area and appeared to be a woman in her 30s, though the remains were already in an advanced state of decomposition. Investigators are still determining whether they face a single perpetrator or a group of men. “As police, we neva reach dia yet. Di experts still dey analyse di dockets, di victim profile, and di behaviour of di suspect or suspects,” Mathe explained, noting that the investigation is complex and involves multiple victims who may have been killed by multiple perpetrators.
The investigation has already yielded one arrest. In the case of the first victim, a 37-year-old woman discovered near R21 on 15 July, police arrested one suspect on 17 July 2026. That suspect remains in custody. The victim was found naked and appeared to have been restrained with cable ties. Police have not yet formally confirmed her identity.
The second victim, a 32-year-old woman, was discovered on 24 August near R21 and found partially clothed. An unidentified third victim was discovered on 10 September 2026 in an advanced state of decomposition. The fourth victim, a 38-year-old woman found on 12 September in Rhodesfield behind a hotel, was wearing sports clothing and found partially clothed. Her identity remains subject to formal family confirmation through the mortuary identification process.
The fifth victim was identified as 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, a jogger who disappeared on 9 September following an afternoon run in Rhodesfield. Her family identified her at the Germiston mortuary on Monday, 14 September. BBC News Pidgin had reported on the discovery of her body, which police designated as the fifth found in Kempton Park in the past two months. Her death prompted an outpouring of tributes and heightened public anxiety about women’s safety in the region.
Police have urged anyone with information to come forward through appropriate channels while cautioning the public against circulating unverified information or making accusations without evidence. “Di safety of women na priority. Di SAPS go continue to dey work wit communities and oda stakeholders to identify risks, strengthen policing response, and ensure say credible information get attention,” authorities stated.
The series of discoveries has intensified scrutiny of institutional responses to women’s safety across South Africa. Advocacy organization Women for Change voiced frustration with the situation, questioning the purpose of protective services when women must ensure their own safety. Whether the resources and operational support that General Dimpane has been asked to guarantee will translate into arrests, and how quickly, is the question now hanging over the investigation.