News24 | Missing Kempton Park runner’s family waiting to ID battered body found, as SAPS warns women

The family of missing Kempton Park runner Elizabeth Mokolo Moselakgomo, who disappeared after going for a run on Wednesday, say they cannot confirm whether a body discovered on Saturday is hers because her face was battered, as police warn women after four bodies were found in the area over two months.

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• Family spokesperson Genavieve Beukes told News24 the family could not recognise anything on the body due to physical damage, and formal identification at the Germiston mortuary could only take place on Monday.
• The South African Police Service said the bodies of four women, found half naked with visible bruising at sites within the same vicinity over approximately two months, showed concerning similarities, though it has not confirmed a serial killer link.
• Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane has directed the establishment of a multidisciplinary task team, led by Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Major General Mbuso Khumalo, to investigate the cases and determine whether the deaths are linked.

The family of missing Kempton Park runner Elizabeth Mokolo Moselakgomo say they cannot confirm whether a body discovered on Saturday evening is hers, because the face is so badly battered.

Family spokesperson Genavieve Beukes told News24 the family was unable to identify the body due to the extent of the physical damage.

She said the body was being transported to the Germiston mortuary, where the family would be able to formally confirm the identity on Monday.

“The scene where she was found, unfortunately, her face was battered in, so there is no way of telling that it is her exactly, so the family will only know on Monday,” Beukes said.

Moselakgomo, 38, also known as “Tsontso”, went for a run on Wednesday afternoon from her home in Kempton Park, and failed to return, leaving behind her eight-year-old daughter, who contacted family members when her mother did not come home that evening.

She was last seen between 17:30 and 18:30 on Mustang Street in Rhodesfield according to the Kempton Express.

On Saturday, the South African Police Service (SAPS) issued a statement warning women in and around Kempton Park, particularly the Rhodesfield area, to exercise extreme caution after the bodies of four women were discovered in the same area over approximately two months.

The latest body was discovered on Saturday evening. Police said preliminary information gathered by detectives showed “concerning similarities” in the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The bodies were found half-naked with visible bruising, with all the discovery sites located within the same vicinity.

The police stressed that the investigations were still underway and they had not confirmed there was a serial killer on the loose but said the similarities were “sufficiently concerning” to issue a public warning and intensify investigations.

READ | This specialist forensic nurse in Germiston helped put a serial rapist behind bars

Women in the area have been urged not to walk or run alone, particularly in isolated areas, to avoid secluded spaces, remain vigilant and, where possible, travel or exercise in groups.

In the meantime, Acting National Commissioner of the SAPS, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, has directed the Gauteng Provincial Commissioner to immediately establish a dedicated multidisciplinary task team to investigate the cases and determine whether there are any links.

The task team, led by Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Major General Mbuso Khumalo, will comprise detectives from specialised units, including the Murder and Robbery Unit and the Investigative Psychology Unit.

SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the police were taking the incidents extremely seriously. “We urge women to remain vigilant, while assuring the community that specialised police resources have been mobilised to establish the circumstances surrounding these deaths and bring those responsible to justice,” Mathe said.

She also said they were appealing to residents, motorists, security personnel and members of the community who may have observed suspicious activity in the Rhodesfield and surrounding areas to come forward.

Anyone with information can contact Warrant Officer Elvis Manyike on 082 465 7249 or provide information anonymously through the MySAPS app.