Nine Women Dead in Two Months: What We Know About the Kempton Park Killings

FAME Foundation Femicide Tracker

South African police have found the body of a ninth (9) woman east of Johannesburg, near Kempton Park in the Ekurhuleni municipality. This is the ninth body found in the area in two months. Each time, the pattern has been similar: a woman’s body found by the roadside, partially undressed, with signs of violence.

Police have locked down parts of Kempton Park and set up roadblocks after three bodies were found in one week. Deputy National Police Commissioner Tebello Mosikili said: “We cannot continue picking up bodies.”

Local resident Patience Masa said: “This is very scary… because you can say we as women and children are no longer safe.” Another resident, Zanele Vilakazi, said she no longer feels safe going about her day, even in daylight.

Police have not confirmed that one person is responsible for all nine deaths. They have said there are similarities between the cases, but they are also checking whether a copycat may be behind at least one of the later killings.

One case drew wide attention. Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38, left her eight-year-old daughter at home and went for an afternoon run this September 2026. She did not return. Fellow runners searched for her and shared her case on social media, which brought new attention to the earlier killings. Her body was found near a hotel in Rhodesfield.

The first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found on 15 July 2026, naked and bound with cable ties. A suspect, described by police as a foreign national, was arrested two days later and appeared in court that week. A second woman, 32, was found partially clothed in late August 2026. A third body was found in mid-September 2026, badly decomposed. More bodies were later found at Olifantsfontein and along the R21 road near Springs, bringing the total to nine.

Police have offered a reward of 400,000 rand (about $25,000) for information leading to an arrest. The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest political party, added its own reward on top of that.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said: “Someone has declared war against us, and we will push back, we are not going to surrender.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “no stone will be left unturned,” and said the killings are “causing fear and uncertainty in our communities, and especially among women.”

South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Gender-based violence has been declared a national emergency by the government. According to the United Nations, one in three South African women will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. This has not changed much despite years of government promises. UN Women has also said South Africa has some of the highest rates of violence against women and children in the world, in a country of 62 million people.

We call for an end to the killing of women in South Africa, and everywhere. FAME Foundation condemns this and is calling for real action on gender-based violence.

The investigation is ongoing.