A man and two women appeared in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 21, 2026, over the killing of a woman whose body was found in Ekurhuleni last week — the ninth in a series that has run for two months, and the first of the nine to reach a courtroom.
The victim was Jabulile Ntimba, about 30. Police found her on Thursday, September 17, partially clothed in an open area on Lama Street in Villa Lisa, Dawn Park, with a fatal injury to her throat. The Gauteng murder and robbery unit arrested the three over the weekend, and they were due in court at 11 a.m.
The eighth case came two days earlier, when the body of a 35-year-old woman was found behind a club in KwaThema, Springs, on September 15. Decomposition left the time of death unclear, and investigators believe her body was dumped there.
Who the Victims Are
Three of the nine have been formally identified. Two have been named publicly. Itumeleng Kekana, 32, disappeared in Kempton Park, where a missing-person report was filed on July 17; her body was found on August 3 at Pomona.
Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38, a mother and avid runner, set out on her usual run on September 9 and never came back. Her young daughter raised the alarm. Searchers found her body on September 12 behind a hotel in Rhodesfield, Kempton Park, and her relatives identified her two days later at the Germiston mortuary. Her case drew wide attention after other runners turned to social media to help look for her — an effort that led to more bodies being found.
The third identified victim, a 20-year-old, is the youngest of the nine. Investigators have asked any family missing a relative to come forward so the remaining women can be named.
What Police Say About a Possible Link
Police have not concluded that one person is behind the deaths. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe has called the similarities concerning, pointing to the condition in which the women were found and the way their bodies were left, but has cautioned that it is too early to name a single perpetrator.
“For now, nothing tells us that we’ve got a serial killer,” Mathe told reporters. Detectives are also weighing whether several people acted together, or whether a copycat is reproducing an earlier crime. “It could be that it’s a copycat crime that is happening right here but so far, no linkages as yet,” Mathe said.
Gauteng provincial police commissioner Fred Kekana said the field has not been narrowed. “Investigators are considering all possibilities, including the possibility of multiple suspects or separate perpetrators,” he said, adding that police are comparing the evidence, timelines, locations, victim profiles and circumstances of each case. Deputy national commissioner for policing Tebello Mosikili put it more bluntly: “We cannot continue picking up bodies.”
Several of the women were found undressed and decomposed, and a number of them were bruised or assaulted before they died, according to police. Detectives have used that thread to work the cases collectively while trying to establish whether any are connected.
The first death, that of a 37-year-old woman found naked and restrained with cable ties in an open field near the R21 in Kempton Park, brought one man into custody on July 17. Police said no charges were filed against him. He is reported to have been the woman’s partner, and police have not established any connection between him and the other deaths.
Cases Spread Across Ekurhuleni
The investigation reaches across Ekurhuleni, taking in Kempton Park, Pomona, Clayville, Olifantsfontein, Rhodesfield, KwaThema and Dawn Park. A 32-year-old woman was found near the R21 in Kempton Park on August 24, still unidentified. Investigators later folded in a September 7 case: a woman in her late twenties found in a river in Clayville, near Tembisa Mall. Another woman, still unnamed, was found on September 10 near the point where the R21 meets Voortrekker Road. A woman’s body was found beside a road in Olifantsfontein on September 14.
The first five bodies were found in or near Kempton Park, police said, with the others turning up in separate locations 25 to 35 kilometers (16 to 22 miles) away. All of the victims were women in their 20s or 30s, found naked or partially clothed, and some carried similar bruising.
How the Government Has Responded
“I have directed that these cases be prioritised and that no stone be left unturned in bringing those responsible to justice,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said on September 15, when the count stood at six. “As a nation, we must stand up for the rights, safety and dignity of women and girls,” he said. Police are offering a reward of R400,000, about $25,000, for information.
A multidisciplinary team of detectives, forensic experts and intelligence officers has been assembled. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia called the discoveries deeply distressing and warned against the rumors and unverified claims circulating on social media, saying it was premature to speculate about a pattern. “The police will lock down this area in the coming weeks,” he said. “The community will see the presence of the South African Police Service.” Officers are also widening patrols through Operation Shanela.
Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane said police were “seized with all nine murder cases, with each case receiving priority attention.”
The killings land in a country where the numbers are already stark: police recorded 569 women murdered between April and June this year, 1,052 who survived attempted murder and 9,201 rapes, most of the victims women and children.
Officers assigned to the Ekurhuleni cases have told women in and around Kempton Park not to walk or run alone in isolated areas — advice that drew a sharp response from the advocacy group Women For Change. “We are tired of being told to be vigilant when women are already doing everything possible to stay alive,” the group said.
Anyone with information can contact Warrant Officer Elvis Manyike on 082 465 7249 or call the Crime Stop line on 08600 10111.