The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan area is being gripped by a terrifying trend that has left communities shaken and families shattered. The discovery of the bodies of 38-year-old Dineo Evelyn Motapane and 32-year-old Itumeleng Kekana has brought the total number of women found dead across the region since July to nine, igniting urgent calls for justice and heightened police intervention.
For the grieving families, the horror is compounded by the lack of answers. How did their loved ones, both vibrant women with families of their own, end up abandoned in such brutal circumstances?
The Heartbreak of Dineo Motapane
For the family of Dineo Motapane, the reality is still sinking in. Dineo, a mother to a two-year-old daughter, was last seen on September 13. Her family had not yet filed a missing person report when the devastating news arrived: her body had been found on the side of a road in KwaThema, Springs, on September 15.
Her sister, Phelisa, described the agonizing moments leading up to the discovery. Dineo had been her usual self just days prior—cleaning, moving about the yard, simply going about her life. When the family attempted to reach her on Sunday evening following the death of an uncle, her phone was dead. They assumed she would return.
The reality they found at the Springs Mortuary was far worse than they imagined. According to police, Dineo’s body was found naked and in a state of decomposition. Phelisa spoke of injuries that the family struggles to comprehend: a severely burnt hand and an unknown surgical scar on her leg.
"Seeing her burnt on one side of her hand and an unknown operation on her leg was shocking and devastating," Phelisa said. The family remains haunted by the cruelty of her final moments. "What did she do to anyone to warrant them killing her?"
While police have assured the family that a multidisciplinary task team is handling the case, the demand for justice is loud. "Justice must prevail, not just for Dineo but for all women who are daily being found killed. Police visibility in our communities will also assist."
17 Days of Despair: The Search for Itumeleng Kekana
The story of Itumeleng Kekana is one of desperate hope turned to tragedy. She disappeared on July 17 after leaving her sister’s spaza shop in Kempton Park. Her last moments were filled with joy; she had called her brother, Themba, to sing him happy birthday.
"She sang for me; she was very happy that day," Themba recalled.
What followed was 17 days of agonizing uncertainty. Themba, traveling from QwaQwa in the Free State to join the search, scoured every corner imaginable—police stations, hospitals, clinics, mortuaries, and even open fields and dumping sites.
On August 3, the search ended in the worst possible way. A woman’s body was discovered near Great North Road in Pomona, Ekurhuleni. She had suffered multiple stab wounds. Itumeleng was laid to rest in QwaQwa on August 22, leaving behind a 14-year-old daughter who is struggling to process the loss of her mother.
The family is pinning their hopes on the police investigation, particularly urging authorities to scrutinize CCTV footage from near the scene where her body was discovered. "There is CCTV footage not far from where we found her body, and we hope the police will analyse the footage and help us understand what happened to her," Themba stated. As of August, no suspects had been apprehended.
A Community in Crisis
With a specialized team of investigators currently probing whether these cases are linked, there is a mounting pressure on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to provide clarity. The frequency of these discoveries has turned the spotlight onto the safety of women in Ekurhuleni.
As these families fight for closure, their message is clear: these are not just statistics in a crime report. These are mothers, sisters, and daughters whose lives were stolen. The question remains—will the authorities be able to stop this cycle of violence before another family is forced to endure the same heartbreak?
