Three people are expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday in connection with the murder of a woman whose mutilated body was found in Dawn Park, Ekurhuleni.
The arrests of one man and two women are the latest development in the investigation into nine women found dead across the region over a period of about two months. Police have treated the cases as a priority and have deployed additional resources to areas where residents have been living in fear.
The latest victim, believed to be about 30 years old, was discovered by a passer-by on Friday, 17 September. Her body was found in an open area on Lama Street in the Villa Lisa section of Dawn Park.
Police said she was partially clothed and had suffered a fatal injury to her throat. Her identity had not been publicly released at the time of the arrests, leaving investigators with the task of formally identifying her and notifying her family.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the three suspects were arrested over the weekend by members of the Gauteng Murder and Robbery Unit. They are expected to appear in court in connection with the Dawn Park murder.
Police said further details about the case would be presented in court. The suspects remain entitled to due process, and the allegations against them must be tested through the criminal justice system.
The arrests followed a period in which police called three people in for questioning after nine bodies were discovered in Kempton Park and other parts of Ekurhuleni. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia disclosed the development during a briefing with journalists on Sunday after a meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee.
The minister confirmed that national and provincial police leaders had been brought in to assist with the investigations. Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo and KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi were called in to support the work being done in Ekurhuleni.
Additional police deployments were also made in KwaThema, Nigel and Dawn Park. Authorities placed parts of the affected areas under lockdown as police intensified their presence and worked to reassure residents.
Cachalia said the increased deployment was intended to protect communities while investigators pursued the cases.
“The community in Ekurhuleni needs to understand that their safety is our priority, and that we are deploying these resources to assure the community that their safety is a priority, as well as our commitment to bringing the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to book,” Cachalia said.
Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane said all nine murder cases were receiving urgent attention.
“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.
Police have not confirmed that one serial killer is behind all nine deaths. The cases were initially linked in the public mind because of the number of victims, the locations where some bodies were found and similarities reported in some of the circumstances. However, the investigation must still establish whether the cases are connected, whether there are several offenders or whether the deaths occurred independently.
The ninth victim was found after a passer-by came across her body in the open area in Dawn Park. Her discovery was the third death reported in Ekurhuleni in a matter of days and triggered fresh concern among residents.
The investigation now includes the Dawn Park scene, the victim’s final movements, the people who may have known her and any evidence that could connect the arrested suspects to the killing. Police will also examine whether the suspects have information about other cases.
The nine cases under investigation
The first woman in the current series was found on 15 July in a field in Kempton Park. She was 37 years old and was found naked with her hands bound with cable ties. A suspect was arrested two days later, but the woman’s identity and cause of death have not been publicly disclosed.
On 17 July, 32-year-old Itumeleng Kekana went missing in Kempton Park. Her family searched hospitals, police stations and mortuaries while trying to establish where she was. Her body was found on 3 August on Great North Road in Pomona.
Kekana left behind her parents and a 14-year-old daughter. Her case became one of the incidents that deepened concern in the area as families and community members began asking whether women were being targeted while walking, exercising or travelling through the region.
On 24 August, the body of another 32-year-old woman was found partially clothed near the R21. Her identity and cause of death had not been publicly disclosed.
On 7 September, a woman believed to be in her late twenties was found in a river in Clayville, near the Mall of Tembisa. She was wearing only her underwear. Police had not publicly identified her at the time of the latest report.
Three days later, on 10 September, a woman’s body was found near the R21 in Kempton Park. Her family later identified her as 28-year-old Gracious Nkomo. Police said she had been found partially clothed.
Around the same period, 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo was found dead behind a hotel in Rhodesfield after going out for her usual run. Her family later identified her. She was buried over the weekend in Mpumalanga.
On 14 September, a partially naked woman with bruising was found in Olifantsfontein. She had not been publicly identified when the latest arrests were announced.
The following day, 38-year-old Dineo Evelyn Motapane was found beside a road in KwaThema, Springs. Preliminary pathology findings indicated that she had been strangled. Her family identified her at Springs Mortuary.
The ninth body was found on 17 September in an open area on Lama Street in Dawn Park. The woman was partially clothed and had suffered a fatal throat injury, according to police.
The identities of several victims remain unknown. This means their relatives may still be waiting for confirmation while investigators work through the formal identification process. Until families have been notified, police have not released the women’s names.
The arrests are expected to bring new pressure and new hope to the investigation. The three people appearing in court may face charges linked to the Dawn Park murder, while police will continue examining whether any evidence connects them to the other deaths.
Investigators are expected to study witness statements, forensic evidence, camera footage, cellphone records and the movements of the suspects. They will also need to establish where the Dawn Park victim was last seen, whether she was killed at the recovery site and how her body came to be left in the open area.
Any possible connection to the earlier cases will have to be proven through evidence. A person’s arrest does not mean guilt has been established, and the court will decide whether the State has enough evidence to proceed against the accused.
The three accused people are expected to make their first appearance on Monday. Police are likely to provide more details through the court process, although sensitive information may remain undisclosed while the investigation continues.
For the families who have lost daughters, mothers and loved ones, the breakthrough comes after weeks of fear and unanswered questions. For residents in Dawn Park, KwaThema, Olifantsfontein, Kempton Park and surrounding areas, the presence of more police officers may offer some reassurance.
But the investigation is far from over. Police still have to establish whether the nine deaths are linked, identify the remaining victims and hold every person responsible to account. The first court appearance will be watched closely by a public demanding answers about the women whose lives ended across Ekurhuleni.
