The family of missing Kempton Park runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo faces a devastating wait: on Monday, they will go to the state mortuary to establish whether a badly beaten woman found in Rhodesfield is the 38-year-old mother who vanished during her usual evening run.
Elizabeth disappeared on 9 September after leaving her home in Roseville. She had gone out for her routine run, an activity she used to exercise and relax after work, but never returned.
Her eight-year-old daughter alerted other family members, who reported her missing at the Kempton Park police station. Relatives, police officers, colleagues, members of the public and Renegades Search & Rescue then joined the search for her.
The discovery of a woman’s body in Rhodesfield on Saturday evening has now added a painful new chapter to the case. The body was found near York Street, behind a hotel. The woman was partially clothed and wearing sports clothing, but her face had been badly battered.
Because of the injuries and the late hour, Elizabeth’s relatives could not identify the body at the scene. It was taken to the state mortuary, where the family will formally attempt to identify it on Monday.
Family spokesperson Dawn Gounden said relatives were deliberately keeping many details about Elizabeth private. They have chosen not to release extensive information about her work, studies and personality while they protect the rights and privacy of her young daughter.
The family will provide more information after the identification process, Gounden said. Until then, relatives are asking the public not to turn fear and uncertainty into unconfirmed claims.
“We humbly ask that the public refrain from any unverified and unconfirmed information.”
The warning comes as speculation spreads across Kempton Park about whether Elizabeth’s disappearance could be connected to the deaths of other women whose bodies were found in and around the area during the past two months.
Police are investigating the deaths of four women between July and 9 September. However, officers have warned that it is too early to conclude that the cases are linked or that one person is responsible for all the deaths.
Acting Gauteng police commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said a multidisciplinary task team had been established to investigate possible links between the cases. Police identified similarities in certain circumstances, but those similarities have not yet proved that the deaths were connected.
The task team includes specialised police units, experts from the Investigative Psychology Unit, tracking teams, canine teams and biological canine teams. Their work is expected to help investigators examine the different scenes, gather evidence and determine whether there is a connection between the cases.
The first victim was a 37-year-old woman whose body was found near the R21 on 15 July. She was naked and had allegedly been restrained with cable ties. A suspect was arrested two days later and remains in custody.
A second woman, aged 32, was found partially clothed near the R21 on 24 August.
On 10 September, one day after Elizabeth disappeared, an unidentified woman was found naked and in an advanced state of decomposition. Two days later, the latest body was discovered in Rhodesfield.
The fact that the latest victim was also a 38-year-old woman has deepened the family’s distress, but Gounden cautioned against assuming that Elizabeth was one of the women who had died. Relatives could not identify the body because of the condition of the face and did not want to speculate before the formal process.
The family had already been searching hospitals and mortuaries before the Rhodesfield discovery. Those searches were unsuccessful, and Renegades Search & Rescue later joined the effort to find her.
The organisation, which assists with missing-person cases, worked with the family and helped circulate missing-person flyers. Elizabeth’s colleagues contacted Gounden after seeing the flyers and joined the growing effort to locate her.
In a joint statement with the family, Renegades Search & Rescue thanked everyone who had taken part in the search and appealed for information about Elizabeth’s whereabouts.
“We thank everyone who came to the family’s aid, assisted with searches and the circulation of flyers, as well as the South African Police Service and the public for rallying around the family during this trying time,” it said.
The search has also drawn support from the athletics community. The Southern African Confederation of Athletics expressed solidarity with Elizabeth’s family, the wider athletics community, Athletics South Africa and the teams involved in the search.
The organisation said women should be able to exercise without fearing for their safety, while urging runners and fitness enthusiasts to take precautions when exercising outdoors. It advised people to run in groups, choose well-lit and frequently used routes, and avoid isolated areas and solo runs.
“No run is worth your life,” it said.
SACA also said the athletics fraternity across Southern Africa was praying for answers and for Elizabeth’s safe return.
“To her daughter, you are held in our hearts. May God’s peace and comfort surround you. We are praying for your mother’s safe return,” it said.
For Elizabeth’s family, Monday’s mortuary visit will bring either confirmation of their worst fears or another painful step in the search for answers. Until the woman’s identity is formally established, her family is asking the public to resist speculation and allow investigators to do their work.
At the centre of the case is a mother who left home for an ordinary evening run and vanished. While police investigate four deaths and possible links between them, Elizabeth’s loved ones remain caught between hope and heartbreak, waiting to learn whether the body found behind a Rhodesfield hotel is the woman they have been searching for.
