Jackie Phamotse and Anele Mdoda have joined a growing chorus demanding accountability from Saps as a fifth body is found near Kempton Park.
Broadcaster Anele Mdoda sparked heated debate after weighing in on the SAPS warning over the Kempton Park deaths, suggesting a drastic — and controversial — way to catch the person responsible. Picture: Instagram/@zintathu
South Africans in the public eye are adding their voices, and in some cases, their fury, to the growing panic over a string of women’s deaths in and around Kempton Park. Their input comes as police confirmed on Monday that a fifth body had been discovered in nearby Olifantsfontein.
Author and social activist Jackie Phamotse was among the first high-profile voices to sound the alarm, posting on X on Saturday after the fourth body was found. She told her followers she believed there was “possibly a serial killer” operating in the area, arguing that police needed to be more transparent with the public and warning that whoever is responsible is growing bolder.
Broadcaster Anele Mdoda responded to the Saps warning with a blunt, emotionally charged post of her own, floating the idea of using decoys to draw out the person responsible. Her suggestion split opinion online, with some South Africans backing her frustration and others cautioning against endorsing vigilante violence.
Western Cape content creator Austin Macaskill of CoolStoryBru also weighed in, posting a video breaking down the Saps warning and the formation of the police task team for his followers. Macaskill described the details of the case as frightening and urged women in the area to take precautions.
What police have confirmed so far
According to Saps, the case now spans at least five bodies discovered between mid-July and mid-September 2026, all in a tight radius around Rhodesfield and the R21 highway near OR Tambo International Airport:
- 15 July: A 37-year-old woman found near the R21, naked and restrained with cable ties. A suspect was arrested two days later and remains in custody.
- 24 August: A 32-year-old woman found near the R21, partially clothed.
- 10 September: An unidentified woman found in an advanced state of decomposition; formal identification has not yet been established.
- 12 September: A 38-year-old woman found behind a hotel in Rhodesfield, partially dressed in sports clothing.
- 14 September: A fifth body discovered in Olifantsfontein, a short distance from the other sites.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe has repeatedly stressed that Saps has not confirmed a serial killer is responsible, but said the pattern was concerning enough to warrant a public warning. Acting national commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane has directed Gauteng police to set up a multidisciplinary task team, including detectives from the murder and robbery unit and the investigative psychology unit, led by Deputy Provincial Commissioner Major-General Mbuso Khumalo.
Criminologist Professor Nirmala Gopal told Newzroom Afrika that, from a profiling standpoint, the pattern of the victims’ gender, the marks on their bodies and the tight geographic cluster point toward a single perpetrator rather than a syndicate, though she said the final call rests with investigators.
The missing runner adding to public anxiety
The case has been sharpened by the disappearance of Elizabeth “Tsontso” Mokolo Moselakgomo, a 38-year-old Kempton Park woman who went missing on 9 September after leaving home for an afternoon run. Her eight-year-old daughter is reported to have raised the alarm when she failed to return.
The body of Moselakgomo was positively identified on Monday at the Germiston mortuary by her family.
Officials and civil society join the chorus
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi described the deaths as “madness” that the province cannot normalise. Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has called for a coordinated response, saying women should not have to choose between their safety and their health, and that no woman should fear exercising in public.
Civil society organisations have also entered the fray: Not In My Name International has called for an urgent, coordinated investigation into whether the cases are linked, while Women For Change has accused law enforcement of reactive policing, arguing that the burden of safety continues to fall on women rather than on addressing perpetrators. The EFF also weighed in with a statement.
Anyone with information has been urged to contact Warrant Officer Elvis Manyike on 082 465 7249, or to report anonymously via the MySAPS app.
