Kempton Park killings: What we know about the six women found dead

Fear has gripped communities in and around Kempton Park, Gauteng, after six women were found dead within a two-month period.

This has prompted South African police to establish a dedicated task team, while also reigniting national anger over Gender-based Violence (GBV) in South Africa.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE VICTIMS

Between 15 July and 15 September 2026, Gauteng police discovered five bodies of mostly half-naked women in the Kempton Park area.

The first case saw a 37-year-old woman found half-naked and dead in an open veld near the R21 highway, with a suspect arrested two days later and remaining in custody since.

One victim has been formally identified: 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, a runner from Rhodesfield, Kempton Park.

She had disappeared after leaving home for her routine afternoon run on Wednesday, 10 September.

Her family described her as the “glue of the family,” noting her particularly close bond with her eight-year-old daughter.

Her daughter alerted relatives within minutes of her mother failing to return home.

Her body, which beared signs of a severe beating, was found in Rhodesfield.

Similarities in the murders

Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said preliminary information gathered by detectives indicated concerning similarities in the circumstances surrounding the deaths. These were the bodies being found half-naked and bruised, and were discovered within the same vicinity.

However, authorities have not classified the deaths as the work of a single serial killer, particularly since the first victim’s case already has a suspect in custody.

However, SAPS acknowledged the similarities across scenes are “sufficiently concerning.”

Sources close to the investigation say police are now examining whether more than one perpetrator could be involved, after a station commander reportedly told a closed meeting that the cases did not all share the same method of operation.

Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane has ordered a task team to lead the investigation.

Dimpane had drawn on specialised units including the Murder and Robbery Unit and the Investigative Psychology Unit, with Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Major General Mbuso Khumalo appointed to lead the probe.

SIXTH BODY FOUND

A sixth woman’s body has now been found. The body was discovered on a roadside in KwaThema, Springs, roughly 45km from Kempton Park, on Tuesday morning, 15 September.

Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed the discovery and said the scene had been cordoned off.

Police have also advised women in the area to avoid walking or running alone. However, that advice has drawn sharp criticism.

Social justice movement Not In My Name International said it was “horrified and outraged,” with spokesperson Boitumelo Thage arguing that telling women not to walk alone “is not protection. It is an admission of failure.”

Residents have since staged protests in Kempton Park amid fears a serial killer could be targeting women in the area.

The Tembisa Community Forum’s Brenda Mekoa called for stronger institutions and decisive laws, saying gender-based violence remains “well documented on paper, yet with little to no real change on the ground.”

Non-profit organisation, Women For Change, known for their involvement in the fight against GBV, also shared a post on Instagram.

“We are so angry. We are angry because we are watching the response suddenly ramp up. Police, search teams, K9 units, forensic specialists, tracking teams, even politicians, everyone is arriving now. Where was this urgency before?” read the caption.

“It should not take a missing woman, a desperate family, runners and communities searching, and a case going viral before an area is searched with this intensity. It should not take national outrage, cameras or an upcoming election for women’s lives to become urgent,” read the caption.