A tenth woman has been found dead in Ekurhuleni, and for the first time, Gauteng’s top police officer will not say a serial killer is off the table.
Her body was discovered inside Mooifontein Cemetery, in the Vusimusi section of Thembisa South, on the morning of 26 September 2026, marking the latest death in the Ekurhuleni killings that have gripped Gauteng for more than two months. SAPS Gauteng spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed the discovery.
“At this stage, we can only confirm the discovery of the body,” she said.
The cemetery sits next to an informal settlement. Residents there are used to strangers passing through, but not to crime scene tape strung between gravestones.
The woman was found partly clothed. Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni told reporters at the scene that she appeared to have been stoned.
“You could see that the victim was stoned,” he said.
A post-mortem examination will determine the exact cause of death.
Her death is the tenth linked to the Ekurhuleni killings in barely three months, and the eleventh across Gauteng when a body found in Soweto is included in the broader count reported by investigators.
The Ekurhuleni killings did not begin with a headline. They began on 15 July, when 37-year-old Busisiwe Mahlangu was found naked and bound with cable ties in Kempton Park. A suspect was arrested two days later, yet the deaths continued.
Itumeleng Kekana was found in the same area on 3 August. By early September, a woman later recovered from a river in Clayville, near the Mall of Thembisa, had brought the toll to eight. She was wearing only her underwear, and police are still attempting to trace her relatives.
On 15 September, the body of Jabulile Ntimba was discovered in Dawn Park, Boksburg. Her case produced the first significant breakthrough in the Ekurhuleni killings. Two women, Fortunate Masilela and Tsakane Nester Msithini, were arrested alongside a man who was later released without charge. Police say the motive was a love triangle rather than the work of a serial offender.
The differing circumstances surrounding some of the deaths have complicated efforts to determine whether all the cases are connected.
Pressed on whether a serial killer could be behind the Ekurhuleni killings, Mthombeni chose his words carefully.
Police have identified similarities in both the victim profiles and the methods used in several of the cases, he said, but investigators have not yet established whether a single perpetrator is responsible.
While police have not confirmed a serial killer is behind the deaths, investigators say they remain open to all possibilities as the inquiry continues.
Nine of the ten victims were women in their twenties and thirties. Several were found partially clothed or without clothing, while some showed signs that prompted investigators to examine the possibility of sexual assault. Those similarities have fuelled public concern even as police urge caution while investigations remain ongoing.
Public concern over the Ekurhuleni killings prompted a high-level political response before investigators achieved a decisive breakthrough.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said those responsible had “declared war” on the state. Police subsequently intensified operations in parts of Kempton Park, deploying drones and additional personnel across the municipality and establishing a multidisciplinary investigation team.
Two senior officers, Lieutenant Generals Dumisani Khumalo and Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, were also brought in to strengthen the investigation.
Despite those efforts, a tenth body was discovered behind the walls of Mooifontein Cemetery.
The woman found at Mooifontein Cemetery has not yet been identified. Neither had several of the earlier victims when their bodies were first discovered.
Police have appealed to anyone with information to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or submit tips through the MySAPSApp.
As investigators work to identify the latest victim and determine whether the deaths are connected, residents across Ekurhuleni remain anxious for answers in a case that continues to grow with each new discovery.
