Police have announced a R400,000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of those responsible for the deaths of eight women whose bodies have been discovered at various locations in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.
Acting national police commissioner Puleng Dimpane announced the reward on Tuesday night during a media briefing at the South African Police Service (SAPS) Gauteng headquarters in Parktown.
The reward comes as police investigate a series of cases involving women whose bodies have been found dumped in areas including Kempton Park, Clayville, Olifantsfontein, Rhodesfield and Kwa-Thema.
Police are investigating the cases collectively while working to establish whether they are connected.
Specialised team established
Dimpane said a team of specialised investigators had been established to investigate the cases, with support from crime intelligence and other specialists.
“We do have crime intelligence on the ground, provincial crime intelligence, as well as economic crime intelligence. Subsequently, I also instructed the head of intelligence at national level to guide this particular team,” she said.
Dimpane said investigators had been working on the cases since the first incident was reported in July.
“You will note that there is a case that was reported in July. We successfully investigated that case and there is a person behind bars in terms of that. So we have one arrest currently. We also have one person that we are pursuing,” she said.
She stressed that the person of interest was being pursued in connection with only one of the cases.
“It is for one case. We are not pursuing him or her in terms of their identification, and it is related to one case,” Dimpane said.
Police appeal for information
Dimpane appealed to members of the public and families who may have relatives missing from the area to come forward.
“There are unknown victims and we are calling upon families in particular around this area to come forward if they know of any family member who cannot account for their whereabouts,” she said.
“The sooner we identify these victims, the quicker it will assist us to follow specific leads as well as to crack these particular cases.”
She said the reward was intended to strengthen the investigation and encourage members of the public to provide information.
“Indeed, over and above the intelligence teams that we have put together, we also acknowledge that the community as well as the media plays a significant role, as well as all other stakeholders, in assisting us to maintain law and order,” Dimpane said.
“We are offering a reward. Any information that we can get … there is R400,000 that we are putting on the table so that we are able to strengthen our investigations.”
Eight cases under investigation
The first body was discovered in July. Seven more women have since been found dead in Ekurhuleni. Police are examining the cases to determine whether there is a link between them.
July 15 – Kempton Park
The body of a 37-year-old woman was discovered on July 15 in an open field near the R21 highway in Kempton Park.
She was found naked and restrained with cable ties.
One suspect, reportedly the victim’s partner, was arrested on 17 July in connection with her murder.
August 24 – Kempton Park
The body of a 32-year-old woman was discovered near the R21 highway in Kempton Park on August 24.
Her body was found partially clothed.
September 7 – Olifantsfontein
A woman believed to be in her late 20s was found floating in a river in Clayville, Olifantsfontein, near Thembisa Mall, around September 7.
Her body was found without clothing apart from underwear.
Speaking to the media at the Kwa-Thema crime scene on Tuesday afternoon, acting Gauteng police commissioner Fred Kekana said the case would be included in the broader investigation.
He said the body will also be included as part of those to be investigated by the investigative team.
Kekana said police had reviewed information held at various police stations after noticing an increase in reports of bodies being dumped.
Kekana cautioned against speculation about how the victim came to be without most of her clothing.
September 7 – Olifantsfontein
Dimpane later confirmed the discovery of another woman’s body in Olifantsfontein on September 7.
“So we might have missed this particular case when we did our numbers. It was picked up today,” she said.
Police said the case would also form part of the investigation.
September 10 – Kempton Park
The body of an unidentified woman was found in Kempton Park at about 10.20am on September 10.
Her body was naked and in an advanced state of decomposition.
Her identity has not yet been formally established. Police are relying on forensic processes to identify her.
September 12 – Rhodesfield
Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38, was reported missing by her eight-year-old daughter on 9 September after she failed to return home from her usual run.
Her remains were found partially naked and bruised in Rhodesfield, Kempton Park, on 12 September.
Her family positively identified her on September 14.
September 14 – Olifantsfontein
The body of an unidentified woman was discovered on the morning of September 14 after a passerby spotted the remains in Olifantsfontein and alerted authorities.
The woman was found partially naked and bruised. Police suspect her body had been dumped at the location.
September 15 – KwaThema, Springs
The body of an unidentified woman believed to be in her 30s was discovered behind a shop in KwaThema, Springs, on the morning of September 15.
Her body was found naked and in a state of decomposition.
Police reviewing cases collectively
Dimpane said police were reviewing all eight cases as part of a coordinated investigation.
She said the cases included the July Kempton Park murder, subsequent discoveries in Kempton Park and Olifantsfontein, and the latest discoveries in Olifantsfontein and KwaThema.
Police also acknowledged that one case had initially not been included in their tally.
Dimpane said a complaint had been received at a police station in the area on September 7, but the case was only identified as part of the broader investigation after police reviewed the reports.
“We might have missed this particular case, and we didn’t get our number,” she said, adding that it would now be investigated by the team.
Police said they were continuing to gather intelligence and forensic evidence while pursuing leads that could establish whether the deaths are connected.
The SAPS has urged anyone with information about the cases, or anyone who can help identify the unidentified victims, to come forward.
