Six women found dead over two months; sixth body discovered on 15 September 2026

Six women were found dead over a two-month period, with the sixth body discovered on 15 September 2026.

What the police have said

Gauteng police reported the discovery of the earlier bodies in the Kempton Park area over the two-month span. The sixth body was found on a roadside in KwaThema, Springs, and the scene was cordoned off, Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed.

Victims and identified details

According to The South African, one victim has been formally identified: 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, a runner from Rhodesfield, Kempton Park. The South African reports she disappeared after leaving home for her routine afternoon run on Wednesday, 10 September. Her family described her as the “glue of the family” and said she had a close bond with her eight-year-old daughter. The South African says Moselakgomo’s daughter alerted relatives within minutes when her mother failed to return home.

Similarities, investigation and task team

Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said detectives noted concerning similarities across scenes, including bodies found half-naked and bruised in the same vicinity. Authorities have not classified the deaths as the work of a single serial killer, in part because a suspect was arrested in connection with the first case and remains in custody.

Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane has ordered a dedicated task team for the investigations, drawing on specialised units including the Murder and Robbery Unit and the Investigative Psychology Unit. Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Major General Mbuso Khumalo was appointed to lead the probe.

According to The South African, sources close to the investigation say police are examining whether more than one perpetrator could be involved, after a station commander reportedly told a closed meeting that the cases did not all share the same method of operation.

Community reaction and criticism

Police have advised women in the area to avoid walking or running alone. That guidance, however, has drawn sharp criticism from activists and residents.

Not In My Name International spokesperson Boitumelo Thage said telling women not to walk alone “is not protection. It is an admission of failure.”

Protests have been staged in Kempton Park amid fears a serial killer could be targeting women in the area. The Tembisa Community Forum’s Brenda Mekoa called for stronger institutions and decisive laws, saying gender-based violence remains well documented on paper but with little real change on the ground.

Non-profit Women For Change criticised the timing and intensity of the police response, saying in an Instagram post that it should not take a missing woman, a desperate family, runners and communities searching, and a case going viral for authorities to act with urgency.

What’s next

The task team and specialised units named by police will continue investigations. Scenes have been cordoned off and police resources have been deployed as the probe progresses.

Editor’s note: The article was updated to correct the timeline and remove an incorrect reference to the time of day the sixth body was found.