The heartbreaking search for Roseville runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo has ended with the confirmation her family feared most: the badly injured body found in the Kempton Park area is hers.
Moselakgomo, 38, was positively identified by her family at the Germiston state mortuary on Monday, after she disappeared following an evening run on 9 September.
Her family is now demanding a full police investigation and accountability for whoever may be responsible for her death. They want the circumstances surrounding her final moments to be established and are calling for justice if criminality is found.
The mother left her Roseville home for a routine jog and never returned. When her absence became clear, her young daughter alerted other family members. Relatives then reported her missing at the Kempton Park police station and began searching with help from the South African Police Service and Renegade Search and Rescue.
The body was discovered in a bushy area not far from the road on Saturday. Family spokesperson Dawn Gounden said the location was also not far from Moselakgomo’s home.
“It was a bushy area, not far away from the road,” Gounden said.
The condition of the body had previously made identification difficult. Relatives were forced to wait until the formal process at the mortuary, leaving the family trapped between hope that Elizabeth might still be found alive and the fear that the search had ended in tragedy.
On Monday, that uncertainty came to an end when the family identified the woman as Moselakgomo, the person they affectionately called Tsontso.
Elizabeth was known as a regular runner. She sometimes joined other people, but on the day she disappeared, she was jogging alone.
“She’s a frequent jogger, she’s a routine jogger; it’s something that she loved doing,” Gounden said.
Her family said the days since her disappearance had been devastating. Relatives and supporters searched tirelessly, circulated missing-person flyers and appealed for information that could lead to her safe return.
“The past few days have been an emotional rollercoaster for us. We searched tirelessly for Elizabeth and circulated missing-person flyers in the hope that information would lead to her safe return,” Gounden said.
Elizabeth leaves behind her minor child, family members and many friends who knew her as someone who made a lasting impression on the people around her.
“She touched the lives of many people who had the privilege of knowing her, and her loss has left a deep void in the lives of those who loved and cared for her,” Gounden said.
The family said the identification brought the painful reality of Elizabeth’s death into focus, but it also ended days of uncertainty about what had happened to her. Their attention is now turning to the investigation and the search for answers.
“We place our trust in the South African Police Service to conduct a comprehensive investigation and to ensure that those responsible, if criminality is established, are held accountable,” Gounden said.
The family wants police to examine every detail connected to Elizabeth’s disappearance, including the route she may have taken during her run, the area where she was found and the events that led to her death. They are also asking that anyone with relevant information come forward.
Gounden said Elizabeth had been a Roseville resident who left home for a normal evening jog without expecting danger.
“We shouldn’t be, as females, imprisoned or fearful of where to go,” Gounden said.
The statement reflects the family’s wider concern about women’s safety. For them, Elizabeth’s death is not only a personal tragedy but also a reminder of the fear many women carry when moving through public spaces alone.
The family thanked the people who helped search for Elizabeth, shared information about her disappearance, distributed flyers, offered support and stood alongside them during the difficult days before her identification.
The search had drawn assistance from police officers, Renegade Search and Rescue, colleagues, friends, relatives and members of the public. Each appeal and search effort had been driven by the hope that Elizabeth would be found and brought home safely.
Instead, her family had to make the painful journey to a state mortuary to confirm her identity. They must now mourn a mother, daughter, relative and friend while waiting for investigators to establish exactly what happened.
Elizabeth’s case also comes after police began examining the deaths of several women in and around Kempton Park. Officers had warned that it was too early to conclude that those cases were linked. The family’s immediate focus, however, is Elizabeth and the investigation into her individual death.
The family has not suggested a motive or identified anyone as responsible. They are asking for a complete investigation and accountability only if criminality is established.
For those who knew Elizabeth, she will be remembered as a woman who loved running and followed a familiar routine. On 9 September, she left home for an activity that had been part of her life, but she did not return to her daughter and family.
“Elizabeth will be remembered, she will be mourned, and her family will continue to seek justice for her,” Gounden said.
The identification may have answered the family’s most painful question, but it has opened another: what happened to Elizabeth after she set out on her evening run? Her loved ones are now waiting for the police investigation to provide the answers and accountability they say she deserves.
