Ninth Body Found Near Johannesburg as Police Probe Series of Killings

Police in South Africa recovered the body of a ninth woman outside Johannesburg on Thursday, September 17, 2026. Eight women's bodies had already been found in the same metro area in the two months before. Al Jazeera

The latest recovery in Dawnpark led police to lock down Kempton Park, in Ekurhuleni municipality east of Johannesburg. Police said the ninth case could be linked to the series under investigation. The cluster sits near Johannesburg's international airport, a dense corridor of roads, transport and warehouses.

The geography has shifted. The first five bodies were found in or near Kempton Park. Later recoveries were 25-35 km (16-22 miles) away. Three partly naked bodies were found in the Kempton Park area in the week of September 17. All nine were found in Ekurhuleni in the last two months.

All the victims were women described by police as in their 20s or 30s. All were found naked or partly clothed. Some had similar bruising. One body was found naked and in an advanced stage of decomposition, when the body has broken down over time.

The sequence began July 17, when the first body was found naked and restrained with cable ties. A man believed to be that victim's boyfriend was arrested and held in custody. No charges were filed against him.

One victim was publicly identified as 38-year-old Elizabeth Tsontso Moselakgomo. She went missing on her daily afternoon jog. Her eight-year-old daughter alerted family that she had not returned. Moselakgomo was reported missing and found dead several days later. The youngest victim identified so far was a 20-year-old woman.

Gauteng police commissioner Fred Kekana said investigators are considering all possibilities, including multiple suspects or separate perpetrators. Police said similarities in the first eight killings were serious enough to issue a public warning. On September 15, 2026, the Police Ministry called for an urgent, coordinated investigation into the murders of women in Kempton Park. AP

Authorities offer 400,000 South African rand ($25,000) for information leading to arrest of the perpetrator or perpetrators. President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed that "no stone will be left unturned" in the investigation. Police advised women near the sites to be extremely cautious and not go out alone. At the latest scene, Deputy national police commissioner Tebello Mosikili said, "We cannot continue picking up bodies."

The broader context here is that the structure of the case is still unclear. Police have not settled on a single killer. It is a bit like trying to tell if separate fires were started by the same person. Spread-out sites make it harder to cordon off areas and link forensic clues such as DNA, and decay limits what can be learned about cause and timing. The warning, reward and lockdown point to a search trying to hold one area steady while the public helps fill gaps.