South Africa: 12 women found dead since July as police investigate possible serial killer

Police in South Africa have confirmed the discovery of three more women’s bodies in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, bringing the total to 12 in two months, BBC News reported.

Arrests have been made in three cases, which appear unrelated to the others, but police cannot rule out a serial killer. The killings have alarmed residents, particularly around Kempton Park.

Busisiwe Mahlangu, 37, was found naked, hands bound with cable ties, in Kempton Park on July 15. A suspect, believed to be her partner, was arrested two days later.

Itumeleng Kekana, 32, a mother, disappeared in July. Her bruised, partially clothed body was found dumped on a Kempton Park bridge on August 3. No arrests.

Nomfesane Mjobo was found in Kempton Park on August 26, partially or fully naked with bruises. Few details have been released. No arrests.

An unidentified woman in her 20s was found floating in an Olifantsfontein river in her underwear on September 7. No arrests.

Gracious Nkomo, 28, was found partially clothed beside a road near South Africa’s busiest airport on September 10. No arrests.

Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38, vanished during a run near her Kempton Park home. Her bruised body was found on September 12. No arrests.

Another unidentified woman was found in Olifantsfontein on September 14. Police withheld her name because her family has not been informed. No arrests.

Dineo Motapane, 38, a mother, was found battered and partly burned in Springs on September 15, two days after she was last seen. No arrests.

Jabulile Ntimba, in her 30s, was found half-naked in a sheet in Boksburg on September 17. Police cite a possible love triangle. Two women face murder charges.

Ntombifuthi Nxumalo was found naked with head injuries at a Tembisa cemetery on September 26. Police believe she may have been stoned. A 36-year-old man faces a murder charge.

An unidentified woman was found in a Springs field on Sunday by a security patrol. No further details have been shared. No arrests.

Boitumelo Gift Mashita, 23, was shot dead on her way to work in Tembisa on Monday. Her estranged husband, a suspect, was later found dead in his car.

President Cyril Ramaphosa called the killings a “stain on our national conscience”. Police have set up a task team and offered a 400,000 rand reward for information leading to arrests.