Seven women’s bodies confirmed in Gauteng, as police widen probe

The number of women’s bodies discovered in and around Ekurhuleni has risen to seven.

Police discovered the seventh body floating in a river in Clayville, near Tembisa Mall, on September 7; whereas in KwaThema, residents were alerted to the latest discovery early on Tuesday morning.

Police confirmed that the body found in this revelation has heightened concern among residents, as the bodies have a disturbing common feature: they were all found naked.

READ: Kempton Park killings expose SA’s GBVF crisis – POWA

One of the people who rushed to the KwaThema scene, Zandile Shabalala went there in her morning gown. She arrived at about 6 am, joining a few other residents who had gathered at the scene.

What they found – the decomposed body of a naked woman lying in the area, left the community shaken.

“I ran here wearing my morning gown and we found her body lying here but I do not know her. She was naked, no piece of clothing on and decomposed,” Shabalala told Sunday World on Tuesday as forensic pathology officials worked to remove the body.

For Shabalala, the discovery was frighteningly familiar. She said the latest discovery was not an isolated incident, claiming that bodies had repeatedly been dumped in the area:

“Every week we find a body dumped in this area. Last week, a body of a man was found here and because we are parents we ran there because we don’t know if )(IT’S) our children.”

The repeated discoveries have left residents worried about their safety, particularly the safety of their children.

“It’s a painful thing to experience as a parent,” Shabalala said.

She called on the government to increase police visibility in the area, saying residents would feel safer if officers were regularly deployed in the community.

“All we want is for government to dispatch police here, maybe safety will improve,” she said.

Police on the KwaThema body

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe visited the crime scene and said the condition of the body was making identification difficult.

“This (Tuesday) morning, right here in KwaThema, the sixth body was found. She looks like she is in her 30s. With this particular body, it looks like she has already decomposed, and she was dumped in this area this morning,” Mathe said.

The discovery has intensified concerns over a possible pattern involving women who have gone missing in the province. However, police have yet to establish whether the cases are connected.

Police have expanded the investigation, bringing in specialised units to determine whether the cases are linked.

“I can confirm that our cyber unit is also joining the investigations to ensure that we speed up the investigations,” she said.

Crime Intelligence has also been brought into the probe, with its divisional commissioner, Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo, expected to assist Gauteng police.

“We are also roping in our head of intelligence, the Divisional Commissioner of Crime Intelligence, Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo, to utilise his expertise and to assist and support the province of Gauteng in these particular investigations,” Mathe said.

READ: Mbalenhle Zuma | Five women’s bodies remind me why I stopped jogging

Investigators look for possible links

Detectives are examining the victims’ profiles, police dockets and the behaviour of the suspected perpetrator or perpetrators in an effort to establish whether the cases are connected.

“The detectives are still analysing the dockets, the victim profiles and, obviously, the behaviour of the suspect or suspects,” Mathe said.

She said most of the women whose bodies have been recovered appeared to be in their 30s.

“It is quite concerning. In the space of three months, and in the space of a week, we are talking about four bodies,” Mathe said.

She cautioned against rushing the investigation before detectives had established the facts.

“We are not going to rush the investigators because we need to ensure that they do a thorough job. This is not an investigation that you can rush because it is quite complex.”

Police investigations into the identities of the victims and the circumstances surrounding their deaths are continuing.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter