Ekurhuleni killings: What we know about 9 women found dead

Police are now investigating the deaths of nine women across Ekurhuleni after officers found another woman’s body in Dawn Park on Thursday morning.

The cases stretch from July to September and include bodies found in Kempton Park, Pomona, Clayville, Olifantsfontein, KwaThema and Dawn Park.

Three victims have now been publicly named: Itumeleng Kekana, Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo and Dineo Evelyn Motapane.

Police have not established that one person or group killed all nine women. Detectives continue to compare the cases and test possible links.

Here is what we know about the nine women whose deaths form part of the widening Ekurhuleni investigation.

1. 15 JULY: WOMAN FOUND BOUND NEAR R21

Police found a 37-year-old woman naked and restrained with cable ties in an open field near the R21 in Kempton Park on 15 July.

Officers arrested a suspect two days later in connection with her murder. He remains in custody.

Police have not linked that suspect to any of the other deaths. Authorities have not publicly released the woman’s name.

2. 3 AUGUST: ITUMELENG KEKANA FOUND IN POMONA

Itumeleng Kekana, 32, disappeared from Kempton Park on 17 July.

Police found her body near Great North Road in Pomona on 3 August after her family spent more than two weeks searching for her.

Her family later formally identified her.

Police have included Kekana’s death in the wider Ekurhuleni investigation.

3. 24 AUGUST: WOMAN FOUND NEAR R21

Police found a 32-year-old woman dead near the R21 in Kempton Park on 24 August.

She was partially clothed.

Authorities have not publicly released her identity and continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.

4. 7 SEPTEMBER: WOMAN FOUND IN CLAYVILLE RIVER

Police recovered the body of a woman believed to be in her late 20s from a river in Clayville near the Mall of Thembisa on 7 September.

She was wearing only underwear.

Police initially investigated the case separately before adding it to the wider probe into the women’s deaths across Ekurhuleni.

Her identity remains unknown publicly.

5. 10 SEPTEMBER: DECOMPOSED BODY FOUND IN KEMPTON PARK

Police found another unidentified woman near the R21 and Voortrekker Road in Kempton Park on 10 September.

Her body was naked and in an advanced state of decomposition.

Investigators turned to forensic processes to establish her identity.

6. 12 SEPTEMBER: ELIZABETH ‘TSONTSO’ MOSELAKGOMO

Police found Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38, in Rhodesfield on 12 September, three days after she disappeared while out running.

Her disappearance triggered a search involving relatives, residents and members of the running community.

Police found her body behind a hotel near the R21. Her family formally identified her at the Germiston mortuary on 14 September.

Moselakgomo’s death sparked widespread outrage, vigils and memorial runs in Kempton Park.

7. 14 SEPTEMBER: WOMAN FOUND IN OLIFANTSFONTEIN

A passer-by alerted police after finding another woman on the side of a road in Olifantsfontein on 14 September.

Police found the woman partially naked with bruising on her body.

Investigators are examining whether someone killed her elsewhere before dumping her at the scene.

Authorities have not publicly identified her.

8. 15 SEPTEMBER: DINEO EVELYN MOTAPANE

Police found Dineo Evelyn Motapane, 38, on the side of a road in KwaThema, Springs, on Tuesday, 15 September.

Her family last saw her alive on Sunday and had not yet reported her missing when police discovered her body.

Relatives positively identified Motapane at the Springs Mortuary on Wednesday afternoon.

Motapane became the third publicly named victim in the investigation.

She leaves behind a two-year-old daughter.

9. 17 SEPTEMBER: WOMAN FOUND DUMPED IN DAWN PARK

Police confirmed the discovery of a ninth woman’s body in Dawn Park on Thursday morning.

The woman was found partially naked on the side of the road. Police said preliminary information indicated that someone had dumped her body at the scene. Another report said officers found her wrapped in a sheet.

Police have not yet released her name or age.

Her discovery pushed the number of women’s deaths under investigation across Ekurhuleni to nine.

WHO HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE EKURHULENI KILLINGS?

Three women have so far been publicly named in connection with the wider investigation: Itumeleng Kekana, 32; Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38; and Dineo Evelyn Motapane, 38.

Police continue to work on identifying the six remaining women and have urged families with missing relatives to come forward.

R900 000 NOW ON OFFER

The rewards linked to the Ekurhuleni killings now total R900 000.

SAPS has offered R400 000 for information that helps investigators identify and arrest those responsible for the women’s deaths.

The DA has added a R500 000 reward for information that leads to a successful criminal prosecution. The party said tip-offs must first be formally submitted to SAPS, with proof of the police report provided before it will consider paying the reward.

DA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Khathutshelo Rasilingwane announced the reward as police intensified their investigation into the killings. SAPS has not confirmed that one offender committed all nine deaths and continues to investigate possible links between the cases.