Police are still trying to locate the family of an unidentified woman whose body was found floating in a river in Clayville, near the Mall of Tembisa, on September 7.
Deputy national police commissioner Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili said the woman was found wearing only her underwear.
Mosikili was speaking outside the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where two women appeared in connection with the murder of Jabulile Ntimba, the ninth woman found dead in a string of killings that has sent shockwaves through communities across Ekurhuleni.
Police have released the identities of several of the victims, while efforts are continuing to identify the remaining bodies and establish whether the cases are linked.
Two women charged over Ntimba’s murder
Fortunate Masilela and Tsakane Nester Msithini appeared in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday after being arrested over the weekend by the Gauteng Murder and Robbery Unit.
They face charges of premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice in connection with Ntimba’s death.
Ntimba, believed to have been about 30, was found on September 17 in an open area on Lama Street in Villa Lisa, Dawn Park. She was partially clothed and had suffered a fatal throat injury.
The two accused were remanded in custody and are expected to apply for bail on October 1.
As they face a Schedule 6 offence, they will have to satisfy the court that exceptional circumstances exist for them to be released on bail.
Police confirmed that a man who was arrested alongside the two women has since been released and has not been charged.
Mosikili said the man was still being investigated and that police were following up on possible links to Ntimba’s murder.
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Nine women found dead
Ntimba’s death brought to nine the number of women whose bodies have been found in Ekurhuleni and surrounding areas over about two months.
The victims identified by police are:
Busisiwe Mahlangu, 37, was found on July 15 in a field in Kempton Park. She was naked and her hands were bound with cable ties. A suspect was arrested two days later. Her cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
Itumeleng Kekana, 32, went missing in Kempton Park on July 17. Her family searched hospitals, police stations and mortuaries before her body was found on August 3 along Great North Road in Pomona. Kekana left behind her parents and a 14-year-old daughter.
Nomfesane Mjobo was found dead in the Kempton Park area on August 26. Details surrounding her death have not been fully disclosed.
An unidentified woman was found floating in a river in Clayville, near the Mall of Tembisa, on September 7. She was wearing only her underwear and has not yet been publicly identified.
Gracious Nkomo, 28, was found near the R21 in Kempton Park on September 10. She was partially clothed and was later identified by her family.
Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38, was found dead behind a hotel in Rhodesfield after going out for her usual run. Her family later identified her. She was buried over the weekend in Mpumalanga.
An unidentified woman was found in Olifantsfontein on September 14. She was reportedly semi-naked and bruised. Her name has not been released as police were still required to formally inform her family.
Dineo Evelyn Motapane, 38, was found beside a road in KwaThema, Springs, on September 15. Her family identified her at Springs Mortuary. Preliminary pathology findings indicated that she had been strangled.
Jabulile Ntimba was found dead in Dawn Park on September 17. Police said she had suffered a fatal throat injury.
Police reject claims of serial killer
The deaths have left residents fearful and families demanding answers.
Mosikili said police were not ruling out any possibility but maintained that there was not enough evidence at this stage to conclude that a serial killer was responsible.
“We are not discounting any possibility, but we are not at this stage still. I think it’s seven days down the line. We cannot say there is a serial killer on the loose,” she said.
Regarding the unidentified woman found in Clayville, Mosikili said police had traced an address that could potentially be linked to her family.
“We managed to track and trace the address and contacted our colleagues elsewhere in the country just to go and verify that address and see who they find at the address that we are having at our disposal,” she said.
She said police would only make an announcement once the identity had been confirmed and the family had been properly contacted.
Investigation continues
Mosikili said the investigation into Ntimba’s murder was being conducted in consultation with prosecutors as part of a guided investigation.
She said investigators were continuing with follow-ups, exploring possible links between the cases and conducting identity parades where necessary.
Further information could also lead police to other possible suspects, she said.
Police said the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths was continuing.
