Police in South Africa have confirmed the discovery of the bodies of three more women in an area east of Johannesburg, bringing the total number of bodies found there to 12 in just two months.
The latest bodies were found in Ekurhuleni between Saturday and Monday morning, according to local police.
Police have made arrests in three of the cases, which do not appear to be related to the others. Nevertheless, police have said they cannot rule out the possibility of a serial killer.
The discoveries have caused widespread alarm in Ekurhuleni, particularly around Kempton Park, and come against the backdrop of longstanding concerns about high levels of violence against women in South Africa.
Here’s what we know.
Busisiwe Mahlangu
Case 1
Busisiwe Mahlangu’s body was found in Kempton Park on 15 July 2026, the first of a string of bodies found in Ekurhuleni within a two-month period. The 37-year-old was found naked with her hands bound with cable ties.
Police arrested a suspect, believed to be her partner, two days after her murder. He has been in police custody since then and has not been linked to the other deaths that followed.
Itumeleng Kekana
Case 2
Itumeleng Kekana, 32, was the second woman whose body was found in the same area on 3 August 2026.
The young mother disappeared in July and her body was found badly bruised, partially clothed and dumped on a bridge in Kempton Park.
No arrests have been made so far.
Nomfesane Mjobo
Case 3
Nomfesane Mjobo’s body was found on 26 August, also in Kempton Park.
Few details around her death have been released but like most of the victims, she was found partially or fully naked with bruises.
No arrests have been made.
Unknown woman
Case 4
Police confirmed the discovery of an unknown woman, in her 20s, on 7 September. The woman’s body was found floating in a river in Olifantsfontain wearing only her underwear.
No further details have been shared about her death and no arrests have been made.
Gracious Nkomo
Case 5
Gracious Nkomo was the fifth woman whose body was discovered, again in the Kempton Park area.
Her partially clothed body was found on 10 September along a road close to South Africa’s busiest airport. No arrests have been made in the 28-year-old’s death.
Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo
Case 6
Elizabeth Moselakgomo was the sixth woman to be found, after a highly publicised nationwide search for her. The 38-year-old went missing while out for a daily run near her home in Kempton Park.
Her body was found badly bruised and partially clothed on 12 September. It was the discovery of her body that really raised the alarm about the spate of killings. No arrests have been made in her case.
Unidentified woman
Case 7
Police confirmed the discovery of another body just two days after Moselakgomo was found. The body was found in Olifantsfontein on 14 September, but police have withheld her name as her family has not yet been informed.
No arrests have been made.
Dineo Motapane
Case 8
The body of Dineo Motapane, 38, was discovered on 15 September just two days after she was last seen alive.
Motapane’s battered and partly burned body was found on the side of the road in Springs, another part of Ekurhuleni.
She leaves behind a young child. No arrests have been made in her case.
Jabulile Ntimba
Case 9
The body of Jabulile Ntimba, in her 30s, was discovered half-naked and wrapped in a sheet on the side of a road in Boksburg on 17 September. This was the ninth body found in Ekurhuleni.
According to police, it appears Ntimba was killed because of a possible love triangle. Three people, two women and a man, were initially arrested for her grisly murder but the man was released due to insufficient evidence.
The two women have been charged with premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice.
Ntombifuthi Nxumalo
Case 10
The body of Ntombifuthi Nxumalo, the 10th body found in Ekurhuleni, was discovered at a cemetery in the Tembisa neighbourhood north-east of central Johannesburg on 26 September. She was found naked with serious head injuries as well as stones near her body.
This has led to police believing she may have been stoned to death.
A 36-year-old man was arrested a day after Nxumalo’s death after he had travelled to another province. He faces a murder charge.
Unidentified woman
Case 11
The body of a yet-to-be identified woman was found in Springs on Sunday – the 11th body found in Ekurhuleni.
The grim discovery was made by a security company patrolling the area.
The woman was found in an open field, but no further details have been shared.
No arrests have been made.
Boitumelo Gift Mashita
Case 12
Boitumelo Gift Mashita was shot and killed on Monday in Tembisa Ekurhuleni. The 23-year-old woman was on her way to work when she was gunned down and her belongings were taken.
Police say her estranged husband, who they suspected of being responsible for her murder, was later found dead inside his vehicle in Midrand.
Police have not found any link between this case and the discovery of the other bodies.
While most of the bodies were found in the same area, police confirmed the discovery of another body about 39 miles (63 km) away from Ekurhuleni on 20 September.
The body of a young woman, believed to be in her 20s, was found wrapped in a duvet in a dam in Soweto, south-west of Johannesburg.
It’s unclear if her murder is linked to those in Ekurhuleni.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said the killing of these women and others was a “stain on our national conscience”.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates, with 5,427 people murdered between April and June this year alone.
South African police statistics do not differentiate victims by gender but the South African Human Rights Commission said last week that 569 women were killed between April and June this year. This works out as an average of six women killed each day.
Police have set up a task team to investigate these murders and have offered a reward of 400,000 rand ($24,000; £18,000) for information that could lead to arrests.
