Eight women found dead near Johannesburg as South Africa confronts renewed femicide fears

By Ogundele Eniola

A wave of fear and outrage has swept across South Africa after the bodies of eight women were discovered in and around Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, over the past two months, prompting police to intensify investigations and issue a public warning.

The latest discovery has heightened fears that a serial killer could be operating in the area, although authorities have stressed that there is no confirmation yet that the deaths are connected or that a single perpetrator is responsible.

Most of the victims were reportedly women in their 20s and 30s. Several bodies were found naked or partially clothed, while some showed indications of sexual violence, adding to concerns that the killings could be linked to the country’s wider crisis of gender-based violence and femicide.

South African police have established a multidisciplinary task team to investigate the deaths and determine whether there are similarities between the cases.

The discovery of another body on Tuesday brought the number of women under investigation to eight. Police have urged members of the public, particularly women in the affected areas, to exercise caution while investigations continue.

Authorities are yet to establish whether the victims knew one another or whether the cases were connected. Police have also cautioned against drawing conclusions about a serial killer before the investigations are completed.

One suspect has been arrested in connection with one of the cases, but investigators have not established that the individual is responsible for the wider series of deaths.

The killings have reopened a painful national conversation about the safety of women in South Africa, a country that has struggled for years with high levels of violent crime and gender-based violence.

The latest deaths come despite the government’s declaration of gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster in 2025, following widespread protests and demands for stronger action.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged that the latest killings will be thoroughly investigated, while civil society groups have renewed calls for stronger prevention measures and accountability.

The situation has also generated concern among running and outdoor fitness communities after one of the victims, Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, disappeared while out for a run before her body was later found. Her death has prompted memorial runs and renewed calls for safer public spaces.

The investigation is unfolding against a broader backdrop of violence against women in South Africa. Official and international data have repeatedly identified the country as having exceptionally high levels of violence against women, while activists continue to demand that prevention receive as much attention as the response after killings occur.

For families waiting for answers, however, the immediate priority is more personal: identifying the victims, determining how they died and ensuring that whoever is responsible is brought before the courts.

As detectives work to establish whether the eight cases are connected, the discoveries have left communities around Johannesburg asking a question that South Africa has confronted repeatedly: how many more women must die before the fear of violence stops being an ordinary part of women’s lives?