Three bodies have been discovered in the Matshelapad informal settlement just off the R24 in the Tarlton area since Sunday, July 3.

According to West Rand District Police spokesperson Sergeant Mulalo Ndou, investigations are ongoing.

He said the first body to be discovered was a woman’s.

Residents heard screaming during the night but only investigated later and made the gruesome discovery.”

In the second incident, also during the early morning hours, two women were confronted by two men who demanded cell phones and money. “It is uncertain what followed but one woman was killed and her friend [injured to the extent that she was] hospitalised.”

Police so far have made two arrests in connection with the incidents.

In the third incident, Sergeant Ndou said police were called to the very same settlement on Monday, July 4 where the body of a man was discovered.

He was ‘necklaced’ in what the police believe was an act of mob justice. It is still uncertain whether the three murders are connected.