The South African Police Service (SAPS) has intensified investigations after the bodies of four women were discovered in the Kempton Park area over approximately two months, with detectives identifying similarities in the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The latest body was discovered on Saturday evening, 12 September, adding to growing concern in and around Rhodesfield, where residents have also been searching for missing 38-year-old runner Elizabeth Mokolo Moselakgomo, known as “Tsontso”.
Police have stopped short of confirming that the deaths are linked or that a serial killer is responsible.
However, SAPS says the similarities are serious enough to warrant a dedicated multidisciplinary investigation and a public warning to women in the area.
SAPS investigates possible links
According to SAPS, the four women’s bodies were found within the same general vicinity and detectives have noted similarities in the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Police say the women were found partially undressed and with visible bruising.
SAPS has stressed that investigations remain at an early stage and that there is currently no confirmation that the deaths were committed by the same person.
The Acting National Commissioner of SAPS, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, has nevertheless directed the Gauteng Provincial Commissioner to immediately establish a dedicated multidisciplinary task team to investigate the cases and determine whether there are links between them.
The team will include detectives from specialised units, including the Murder and Robbery Unit and the Investigative Psychology Unit, together with other relevant disciplines.
It will be led by Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Major General Mbuso Khumalo.
Khumalo has been tasked with ensuring that every possible investigative avenue is pursued to establish what happened to the women and identify those responsible.
Warning to women in Kempton Park
SAPS is urging women in Kempton Park, particularly in Rhodesfield and surrounding areas, to exercise extreme caution.
Police are advising women not to walk or run alone, especially in isolated areas, and to avoid secluded spaces where possible.
Residents are also being encouraged to remain vigilant and, where possible, exercise or travel in groups.
The warning comes amid a separate search for Moselakgomo, who disappeared after going for a run in the area on Wednesday, 9 September.
Missing runner Elizabeth ‘Tsontso’ Moselakgomo
Moselakgomo, 38, reportedly left her Kempton Park home for an afternoon run and did not return.
Her eight-year-old daughter was reportedly left waiting for her mother, with family members becoming concerned when she failed to come home.
Police subsequently opened a missing-person investigation and have been conducting searches and following up on available leads.
Enquiries were also made at hospitals and mortuaries, but SAPS said these had not produced positive results.
Her family has not been able to confirm whether the unidentified body discovered on Saturday is Moselakgomo.
The circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain under investigation.
A disturbing history of serial killings
The developments in Kempton Park have inevitably raised fears because South Africa has previously experienced serial killers who targeted women and operated over extended periods.
Among the country’s most notorious cases is that of Moses Sithole, who was convicted of 38 murders and 40 rapes committed during the 1994-1995 period.
Cedric Maake was convicted of 27 murders committed in Gauteng in 1996 and 1997, while Jack Mogale was convicted of 16 murders, along with numerous rape and kidnapping charges, relating to crimes committed in the Johannesburg area.
Sipho Thwala, known as the Phoenix Strangler, was also convicted of multiple murders and rapes involving women in KwaZulu-Natal during the 1990s.
That history makes the similarities in the Kempton Park cases particularly concerning, but it is important not to label the current deaths as the work of a serial killer before investigators have established a connection.
The purpose of the new task team is precisely to determine whether such a connection exists.
‘We will not wait for further incidents’
SAPS says it is treating the deaths as a matter of urgency and has moved to mobilise specialised resources rather than waiting for additional incidents.
“The safety of women remains a priority for SAPS, and the police will not wait for further incidents before taking decisive action,” the police said.
The service also urged residents, motorists, security personnel and other people who may have been in the Rhodesfield and surrounding areas to report anything suspicious that could assist investigators.
“We urge women to remain vigilant, while assuring the community that specialised police resources have been mobilised to establish the circumstances surrounding these deaths and bring those responsible to justice,” SAPS said.
Community urged to come forward
Police are appealing for information that could help establish whether the four cases are connected, identify the victims where necessary and determine who may be responsible.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Warrant Officer Elvis Manyike on 082 465 7249.
Information can also be submitted anonymously through the MySAPS app.
The investigation remains ongoing, and SAPS has not confirmed that a serial killer is operating in Kempton Park.
For now, the disappearance of Moselakgomo and the discovery of four women’s bodies have heightened concern in the area, placing renewed focus on the safety of women who walk, run or travel alone around Rhodesfield and surrounding parts of Kempton Park.
SAPS has appealed to the public to assist in locating her and has urged anyone with information to contact Warrant Officer Elvis Manyike on 082 465 7249.
