Police say they are pursuing multiple leads after a sixth body was discovered in KwaThema, Springs, roughly 45km from Kempton Park.
Picture: Gallo Images/ER Lombard
The discovery of a sixth body belonging to a 30-year-old woman, found decomposed in KwaThema, Springs, on Tuesday morning, has deepened terror over a spate of killings that has gripped the East Rand since July.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed the discovery at the scene.
She appealed for public cooperation as investigators worked to establish whether the killing was linked to the deaths of five other women found in the same vicinity in Kempton Park.
President Cyril Ramaphosa also weighed in on the killings, saying his government would not rest until those responsible were found.
“These incidents are causing fear and uncertainty in our communities, and especially among women,” he said.
He added that the Minister of Police and the Acting National Police Commissioner had briefed him, and he had “directed that these cases be prioritised and that no stone be left unturned in bringing those responsible to justice”.
Police appeal for unity, not blame
Addressing the media at the scene, Mathe said that solving the killings needed a joint effort between police and the public, rather than criticism of law enforcement. “We cannot do it alone,” she said.
The brigadier added that the police required as many “ears and eyes on the ground as possible” to assist investigators.
She pointed to recent arrest figures as evidence that police were making progress on gender-based violence more broadly, noting that 648 perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide were convicted between April and June, of whom 98 received life sentences.
Even so, Mathe acknowledged the scale of the problem across the affected areas.
“We can’t be sitting at six bodies in a space of two months,” she said.
This is after two bodies were discovered within a span of less than 48 hours.
Mathe said police were working with private security companies through an “eyes and ears” initiative, which had led to more than 18 000 arrests and the seizure of 148 unlicensed firearms across the country in the past week alone.
She revealed that some of the weapons were linked to gender-based violence and femicide cases.
Investigators weighing multiple theories
Asked whether a single perpetrator was responsible for all the killings, Mathe admitted that detectives had not yet settled on one explanation.
“For now, we don’t have one theory. We’ve got multiple theories that are at play,” she said.
She declined to give further details, citing the sensitivity of the investigation, but said a multidisciplinary team had been assembled to piece together evidence from each scene.
She confirmed that a suspect arrested in connection with the first body, discovered in July, remained in custody, which she said showed police were building solid cases rather than rushing to arrest.
“We need to ensure that when we do effect an arrest, there is a watertight case against the person,” she said, explaining that the acting National Commissioner had deliberately avoided setting a deadline for arrests because “with time frames comes pressure” that could lead to mistakes.
Mathe said a station commander had told her it was the first body of a woman found in the area in 12 months, underlining how unusual the recent spate of killings was. “What we are seeing today is not a familiar scene,” she said.
Call for men to stand up
Mathe used the briefing to appeal directly to men in the community to stand up against the violence.
“This is a time that we need all of you to stand united, especially with law enforcement,” she said, urging men to help “protect our daughters, our mothers, our sisters.”
She added that the toll of the killings was being felt across the community.
“Every day you wake up there is a dead body,” she said.
Deputy National Commissioner for Policing, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, echoed that message in an earlier briefing on a fifth body found in Olifantsfontein on Monday.
“No woman should lose her life while good men stand by and watch,” Mosikili said.
She said 17 women had been reported missing in Kempton Park since January, of whom 13 had been safely reunited with their families.
Addressing those responsible directly, Mosikili said their freedom would not last.
“If you are responsible for taking these women’s lives, your freedom is temporary,” she said.
She said evidence had already linked investigators to the perpetrators. “You have left a trail. And we are following it,” she said, adding that the statement was “not a threat” but “a commitment.”
City says extra resources deployed
Ekurhuleni city spokesperson Phakamile Mbengashe, who was also at the scene, said the municipality had activated its joint operations committee and stepped up patrols by the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) in the affected areas.
“We have increased visibility of EMPD in those main areas,” he said.
Mbengashe said visibility would now extend to the KwaThema area as well.
Responding to residents’ complaints about long grass, potholes and broken streetlights, Mbengashe said service delivery remained an ongoing effort but that a multi-departmental task team had been set up to inspect roads in the Kempton Park area.
He said the city would not be defensive about residents’ concerns.
“The concerns are valid, we will not be defensive in that concern, but we are doing the effort we can,” he said.
Asked what assurance could be given to women who wanted to walk or jog safely in the area, Mbengashe said the blame did not lie with them.
“It is not their fault,” he said. “They have the right to live. They have the right to enjoy themselves in our country.”
