JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 27 — South African police on Sunday confirmed the discovery of another woman’s body in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, bringing the total number of female murder victims found in the area since July to 11.
According to a statement issued by the South African Police Service, a security patrol vehicle noticed the body in an open veld near Rhokana Road in Springs, Ekurhuleni, at around midday Sunday and immediately alerted authorities.
All necessary specialized units have been mobilized to the scene, including the multidisciplinary Task Team investigating the Ekurhuleni murder cases, Crime Scene Management, Investigative Psychology Services, Detectives, and Crime Intelligence, the SAPS said, without providing further immediate details.
The discovery follows a string of similar killings in the Ekurhuleni municipality since July. Most of the victims were young women, and nearly all had suffered sexual violence before being killed.
The 11th body was found just hours after police arrested a suspect linked to the 10th victim, who was discovered on Saturday in Tembisa. The killings have sparked widespread outrage across South Africa, a country already grappling with high rates of gender-based violence and femicide.
South African authorities have pledged additional resources and advanced technology to track down the perpetrators and safeguard communities. Speaking on the sidelines of a fundraising event in Johannesburg earlier this week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government is treating the wave of murders with utmost urgency and will step up efforts to protect women.
“Gender-based violence is not only a problem for women, but it’s also a national crisis,” Ramaphosa said, committing to deploy “more money, more resources, and more technology” to address women’s safety concerns. He stressed that the government must fulfill its responsibility to protect women so they can walk the streets without fear.
On Sunday, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide announced approval of a comprehensive emergency strategy focused on crime prevention, rigorous law enforcement, and victim support.
Under the strategy, the specialized multidisciplinary team investigating the Ekurhuleni killings has been placed under the direct coordination of the deputy national police commissioner for detective services, alongside an increased police presence in affected neighborhoods.(Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
