In the shadow of Johannesburg, seven women have been found dead near Kempton Park over the span of two months — most of them unidentified, most of them unclothed, all of them robbed of the ordinary freedom to move through the world. President Ramaphosa has pledged that justice will be pursued without relent, even as investigators have yet to determine whether one hand or many are responsible. The deaths have become a mirror held up to a nation where women are killed at five times the global average, forcing a reckoning with what it means to promise safety to half a population that has long lea
South Africa investigates seven women's deaths near Johannesburg as president vows justice
Seven women killed over two months in Kempton Park area; bodies found partially or fully naked; only two victims identified; widespread fear among women in the region.
women should be able to run without calculating whether it might cost them their lives
Mark
Why does it matter that only two of the seven women have been identified so far?
Mimi
It tells you something about who these women were—marginalized enough that their disappearances didn't immediately trigger alarm. Elizabeth Moselakgomo was different because she was a runner with a daughter who knew to call for help. The others are still nameless to the public.
Luke
But we should be careful here. The source doesn't say these women were marginalized. It just says two have been identified. That could mean the investigation is still ongoing, or it could mean something darker. We don't actually know yet.
Mark
The police say they're investigating whether it's a serial killer or a group. How confident are they in either theory?
Mimi
Not very. The spokesperson said there are "no linkages as yet." They're also floating the copycat theory—that different people might be committing similar crimes independently. It's a wide net.
Luke
Right. And that matters because it changes what we're looking at. A serial killer is one kind of crisis. Copycat crimes suggest something else—maybe media attention itself is triggering violence. Or it could be neither. The honest answer is they don't know.
Mark
What does the president's statement actually commit him to?
Mimi
He's directing that the cases be prioritized and promising that law enforcement will work urgently to establish facts and bring perpetrators to justice. It's a public commitment under pressure.
Luke
But it's also vague. "No stone unturned" is rhetoric. What resources are being deployed? What timeline? The source doesn't tell us, and neither does the president's statement.
Der Puls
- Seven women killed near Kempton Park in two months — the pace of discovery accelerating, with two bodies found in the final two days alone.
- Only two victims have been identified, including 38-year-old runner Elizabeth Moselakgomo, whose disappearance gripped the nation before ending in grief.
- Police are investigating a possible serial killer or coordinated group, but no definitive links between the cases have yet been established — one arrest made, the investigation still without a clear shape.
- Authorities have warned women in the area to avoid walking or running alone, a directive that has itself drawn sharp criticism as an inadequate response to a structural crisis.
- South Africa's Commission for Gender Equality has demanded that women be able to move freely without calculating whether an ordinary act might cost them their lives — a standard the country has long failed to meet.
In the shadow of Johannesburg, seven women have been found dead near Kempton Park over the span of two months — most of them unidentified, most of them unclothed, all of them robbed of the ordinary freedom to move through the world. President Ramaphosa has pledged that justice will be pursued without relent, even as investigators have yet to determine whether one hand or many are responsible. The deaths have become a mirror held up to a nation where women are killed at five times the global average, forcing a reckoning with what it means to promise safety to half a population that has long learned to calculate the cost of a morning run.
President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged this week that no stone would be left unturned after police confirmed the seventh body of a woman had been found near Kempton Park, a town northeast of Johannesburg, in just two months. Most of the women were discovered partially or fully naked. Only two have been identified.
One of them was Elizabeth Moselakgomo, a 38-year-old runner who disappeared last Wednesday after heading out on her daily route. Her young daughter raised the alarm when she didn't return. Her body was found on Saturday, her identity confirmed by relatives on Monday — the end of a public search that had gripped the country.
The first body appeared in mid-July, the second in late August. Then the pace quickened. Gauteng's acting police chief described how officers, noticing a pattern, went back through station records and uncovered a discovery that had initially gone unconnected — a woman found in a river beside a mall near Kempton Park. Police have not yet linked all the deaths to a single perpetrator, and are also considering whether copycat crimes may be occurring. One person has been arrested in connection with the first body; the broader investigation remains open.
The killings have sharpened outrage over a crisis long embedded in South African life — women here are killed at five times the global average rate. Police have urged women in the area to avoid walking or running alone, a warning that drew a pointed response from the Commission for Gender Equality: women should be able to run, commute, and move through their communities without calculating whether the ordinary might cost them their lives. In Kempton Park, that calculation has become unavoidable, and the president's promise of justice hangs over an investigation still searching for its shape.
President Cyril Ramaphosa stood before the country this week with a promise: no stone would be left unturned in finding who killed seven women in and around Kempton Park, a town northeast of Johannesburg, over the past two months. The vow came as police confirmed another body had been discovered on Tuesday morning, bringing the confirmed death toll to seven. Most of the women were found either partially or fully naked. Only two have been identified.
Elizabeth Moselakgomo was one of them. The 38-year-old runner disappeared last Wednesday after setting out on her daily run. Her young daughter raised the alarm when her mother didn't come home. On Saturday, her body was found. Her relatives confirmed her identity on Monday. The public search that had gripped the nation ended in grief.
The first body surfaced in mid-July. The second came in late August. Then the pace quickened. Two more appeared this month, and two more in the last two days. On Tuesday, police added a woman in her late 20s whose body had been spotted in a river next to a mall in a town near Kempton Park. Acting police chief for Gauteng province Maj-Gen Fred Kekana described the moment officers realized the pattern: after noticing bodies being recovered, they went back through police station records and found the woman in the river, a discovery that had initially gone unconnected to the others.
Police have not yet linked the deaths to a single killer, but they are investigating the possibility. Brig Athlenda Mathe, the police spokesperson, acknowledged another theory: that copycat crimes might be occurring, though so far no clear connections have been established between the cases. One person has been arrested in connection with the discovery of the first body and remains in police custody. Beyond that, the investigation remains open and uncertain.
The killings have ignited fear across the country and sharpened focus on a crisis that has long defined South Africa. Women here are killed at five times the global average rate, according to UN Women. The discoveries have sparked outrage at authorities for failing to adequately shield women from violence. Police have now urged women in the Kempton Park area—which sits near South Africa's main international airport—to avoid walking or running alone, particularly in isolated places. The Commission for Gender Equality issued a statement that cut to the heart of the matter: women should be able to run, walk to work, use public transport, return home, visit friends, and move through their communities without calculating whether an ordinary activity might cost them their lives. Yet in Kempton Park, that calculation has become unavoidable. The president's promise of justice hangs over an investigation still searching for its shape.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
These incidents are causing fear and uncertainty in our communities, and especially among women.— President Cyril Ramaphosa
Women should be able to run, walk to work, use public transport, return home, visit friends and participate in community life without having to calculate whether an ordinary activity could place their lives at risk.— South Africa's Commission for Gender Equality
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