Three arrested in murder of woman found in Dawn Park as police probe nine linked killings

Three people have been arrested in connection with the killing of a woman whose body was found in Dawn Park, Ekurhuleni, police said. The arrest follows the discovery of nine bodies across Kempton Park and parts of Ekurhuleni that authorities are investigating as linked cases.

Arrests and court appearance

A man and two women were detained by the Gauteng Murder and Robbery Unit over the weekend and are expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday in connection with the Dawn Park killing, the national police said.

Where and when the body was found

The woman’s body was discovered by a passer-by in an open area on Lama Street in Villa Lisa on September 17. Police said she was believed to be about 30, was found partially clothed and had suffered a fatal throat injury.

Police response and wider investigation

Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane said the nine murder cases were being treated as a priority.

“We remain committed to ensuring that these investigations are pursued with the urgency and determination they require. Our investigators are following all available leads and are working tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice,” Dimpane said.

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia disclosed that three suspects had been called in for questioning after the discovery of the nine bodies over a two-month period. Cachalia said Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo and KZN provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi had been called in to assist with the Ekurhuleni investigations, and that police deployments had been increased in parts of Ekurhuleni, including KwaThema, Nigel and Dawn Park.

Cachalia said the areas had been placed under lockdown and that deployments were intended to assure the community their safety was a priority.

The nine cases

Police accounts in published reports list nine women found dead in the Kempton Park and Ekurhuleni areas between mid-July and mid-September. Details released by police and families include:

• July 15: A 37-year-old woman found in a field in Kempton Park, naked with her hands bound with cable ties; a suspect was arrested two days later.
• July 17–August 3: 32-year-old Itumeleng Kekana went missing on July 17; her body was found on August 3 on Great North Road in Pomona.
• August 24: A 32-year-old woman was found partially clothed near the R21.
• September 7: A woman believed to be in her late 20s was found in a river in Clayville near the Mall of Tembisa, wearing only her underwear.
• September 10: A woman’s body was found near the R21 in Kempton Park and later identified by family as 28-year-old Gracious Nkomo.
• Around the same time: 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo was found dead behind a hotel in Rhodesfield after going out for a run.
• September 14: A semi-naked woman with bruising was found in Olifantsfontein.
• September 15: 38-year-old Dineo Evelyn Motapane was found beside a road in KwaThema, Springs; preliminary pathology findings indicated she had been strangled.
• September 17: The woman found on Lama Street in Dawn Park, the case that led to the recent arrests.

What police will present

Police said further details about the Dawn Park case would be presented in court. No additional forensic or identity details were released in the police statements cited in published reports.