12 women found dead in two months in South Africa’s Ekurhuleni

South African police have confirmed the discovery of the bodies of three more women in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, bringing the number of bodies found in the area to 12 over a two-month period.

The latest bodies were discovered between Saturday and Monday morning, according to local police.

Authorities have made arrests in three of the cases, but those investigations do not currently appear to be connected. Police have nevertheless said they cannot rule out the possibility of a serial killer.

The deaths have caused widespread concern in Ekurhuleni, particularly around Kempton Park, amid longstanding concerns over violence against women in South Africa.

Busisiwe Mahlangu — Case 1

Busisiwe Mahlangu was the first woman found dead in the area. Her body was discovered in Kempton Park on July 15, 2026.

The 37-year-old was found naked with her hands bound with cable ties.

Police arrested a suspect, believed to have been her partner, two days after her death. He has remained in custody and has not been linked to the subsequent cases.

Itumeleng Kekana — Case 2

Itumeleng Kekana, 32, was the second woman whose body was found in the area, on Aug. 3.

The young mother had disappeared in July. Her body was discovered badly bruised, partially clothed and dumped on a bridge in Kempton Park.

No arrests have been made in the case.

Nomfesane Mjobo — Case 3

Nomfesane Mjobo’s body was discovered in Kempton Park on Aug. 26.

Police have released few details about her death. Like most of the victims, she was found partially or fully naked and had bruises.

No arrests have been made.

Unidentified woman — Case 4

Police confirmed the discovery of an unidentified woman believed to have been in her 20s on Sept. 7.

Her body was found floating in a river in Olifantsfontain. She was wearing only her underwear.

Authorities have released no further details and no arrests have been made.

Gracious Nkomo — Case 5

Gracious Nkomo was the fifth woman whose body was discovered in the Kempton Park area.

Her partially clothed body was found on Sept. 10 along a road near South Africa’s busiest airport.

No arrests have been made in connection with the death of the 28-year-old.

Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo — Case 6

Elizabeth Moselakgomo was the sixth woman found dead after a widely publicised nationwide search for her.

The 38-year-old disappeared while out on her daily run near her home in Kempton Park.

Her body was discovered badly bruised and partially clothed on Sept. 12. The discovery heightened concerns over the series of killings.

No arrests have been made in her case.

Unidentified woman — Case 7

Police confirmed the discovery of another woman’s body two days after Moselakgomo was found.

The body was discovered in Olifantsfontein on Sept. 14. Police have withheld the woman’s name because her family has not yet been informed.

No arrests have been made.

Dineo Motapane — Case 8

The body of 38-year-old Dineo Motapane was discovered on Sept. 15, two days after she was last seen alive.

Her battered and partially burned body was found beside a road in Springs, another part of Ekurhuleni.

Motapane leaves behind a young child. No arrests have been made.

Jabulile Ntimba — Case 9

The body of Jabulile Ntimba, a woman in her 30s, was found half-naked and wrapped in a sheet beside a road in Boksburg on Sept. 17.

Police said she may have been killed in connection with a possible love triangle.

Three people — two women and a man — were initially arrested. The man was later released because of insufficient evidence.

The two women face charges of premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice.

Ntombifuthi Nxumalo — Case 10

The body of Ntombifuthi Nxumalo, the 10th woman found dead in Ekurhuleni, was discovered at a cemetery in the Tembisa area northeast of central Johannesburg on Sept. 26.

She was found naked with serious head injuries, with stones also found near her body.

Police believe she may have been stoned to death.

A 36-year-old man was arrested the following day after travelling to another province. He faces a murder charge.

Unidentified woman — Case 11

The body of another unidentified woman was found in Springs on Sunday, becoming the 11th body discovered in Ekurhuleni.

A security company patrolling the area made the discovery.

The woman was found in an open field. Police have released no further details and no arrests have been made.

Unidentified woman — Case 12

A 23-year-old woman was shot and killed in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, on Monday in what police described as an apparent robbery.

She was travelling to work when she was shot. Her belongings were also taken.

The woman has not yet been identified.

Police have not found any connection between her killing and the other deaths despite this being the 12th body discovered in the area.

Investigation continues

While most of the bodies were found in Ekurhuleni, police also confirmed the discovery of another woman’s body about 63 kilometres from the area on Sept. 20.

The body of a woman believed to be in her 20s was found wrapped in a duvet in a dam in Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg.

It remains unclear whether her death is connected to the killings in Ekurhuleni.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described the killings of these women and others as a “stain on our national conscience.”

South Africa has one of the world’s highest homicide rates, with 5,427 people killed between April and June this year alone.

Police statistics do not distinguish homicide victims by gender. The South African Human Rights Commission, however, said last week that 569 women were killed between April and June, an average of six women each day.

Police have established a task team to investigate the deaths and are offering a reward of 400,000 rand ($24,000; £18,000) for information that could lead to arrests.