Tenth Woman's Body Found in South Africa as Police Probe String of Killings
South African police discovered a tenth woman's body in Ekurhuleni east of Johannesburg, bringing the total to 10 women found dead in the area in recent months as authorities investigate possible links between the killings. [3][4]
Tenth Body Discovered in Ekurhuleni
The latest body was found Saturday morning near a cemetery in Tembisa and identified by a friend who had been with the victim at a bar the previous evening. [3] The woman’s friend told national broadcaster SABC that she recognised her friend’s clothes from the previous night when shown a picture of the body. [3] "I don't know what I'm going to say to her children," she said while wiping away tears. "It's painful." [3] The semi-naked body was found near a cemetery in the Tembisa township, police said. [4] Police issued a statement a short while later saying crime scene investigators were at the scene gathering evidence. [3] Officials have yet to publicly identify the victim. [3] Provincial police chief Tommy Mthombeni said the victim appeared to have been stoned to death, and a post-mortem examination would be conducted to determine the cause of death. [4] "At this stage, we can only confirm the discovery of the body. Crime scene management and all the necessary role players are currently on the scene," police spokeswoman Brigadier Brenda Muridili said. [4]
Police Assessment of Possible Links
Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni said similarities in victimology and modus operandi cannot rule out a serial killer but more investigation is needed; three men have appeared in court linked to one prior case. [3] He told reporters that the other bodies shared a "similar victimology" that indicated a shared "modus operandi" of killing, which would allow police to determine whether this latest death was linked to the others. [3] "For now, it's not something which we can overrule to say there's a serial killer, but we cannot conclusively indicate as such," Lt Gen Mthombeni said. [3] "We have put highly capable investigators on this case," he told reporters at the scene, vowing to find those responsible for the killings. [4] The local police commissioner said his force could not rule out the possibility that there was a serial killer on the loose, noting similarities across the 10 deaths in Ekurhuleni, as well as another in Soweto. [3] At this early stage in the investigation, it was too soon to say whether the woman's death was linked to the others. [3]
Pattern in Previous Killings
The previous nine victims were mostly in their 20s and 30s, many found stripped of clothing with signs of extreme violence or sexual assault, most in nearby Kempton Park since July. [3][4] The nine other victims were mostly in their 20s and 30s, with some found stripped of their clothes and showing signs of sexual assault. [4] The first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found naked and bound with cable ties on July 15. [4] A suspect was arrested two days later. [4] Two other suspects, women aged 31 and 38, were arrested in connection with the ninth victim and charged on Monday. [4] Police have said that killing may have stemmed from a relationship-related matter. [4] 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. [3] Most of them were found in Kempton Park, one neighbourhood over from Tembisa. [3] Many of the bodies were those of young women and almost all had suffered extreme violence prior to their deaths. [3]
Context of Gender-Based Violence in South Africa
The deaths have sparked national outcry over gender-based violence in a country with one of the world's highest rates, where 569 women were killed between April and June. [3][4] South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates, with 5,427 people murdered between April and June this year alone. [3] While South African police statistics do not differentiate victims by gender, the South African Human Rights Commission said last week that 569 women were killed and 1,052 others survived attempted murder between April and June this year. [3] Gender-based violence is endemic in South Africa, despite years of government pledges to tackle the problem and the declaration of gender-based violence as a national disaster. [4] Last week, the South African government said the national Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Command Centre received 6,782 distress calls between September 1 and 16, an average of 424 a day. [4] That was a 21 percent increase from the same period in August, when the centre averaged 350 calls a day. [4] South Africa, a nation of 62 million people, has one of the world's highest murder rates, with more than 60 killings a day on average. [4] The deaths have increased pressure on the national government less than a year after ministers declared gender-based violence a national disaster. [3]
Community and Official Response
Police have offered a 400,000 rand ($25,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers, while the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's second-largest political party, has put up a further $31,000. [4] "We have put highly capable investigators on this case," he told reporters at the scene, vowing to find those responsible for the killings. [4] The woman’s friend told national broadcaster SABC that she recognised her friend’s clothes from the previous night when shown a picture of the body. [3] "I don't know what I'm going to say to her children," she said while wiping away tears. "It's painful." [3] The deaths have sparked a national outcry about the scale of violence against women in the country, which has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. [3]
What to watch next: Police continue to investigate possible links among the deaths while working to track down others who may have been involved, with a post-mortem examination set to determine the exact cause of the latest death.
