A woman was found dead in an open field in Dawn Park on Thursday morning, becoming the ninth victim in a string of killings that have shaken communities across Ekurhuleni and raised fears that a dangerous predator may still be at large.A woman was found dead in an open field in Dawn Park on Thursday morning, becoming the ninth victim linked to the Ekurhuleni murders, a string of killings that has shaken communities across Gauteng and sparked fears that a dangerous predator may still be at large.
Residents of Villa Liza rushed towards the scene on Lama Street after word spread through the neighbourhood. Some arrived in slippers and dressing gowns. Others stood silently, struggling to process what they were seeing.
The woman was found wearing only a blue T-shirt and pink underwear. Her throat appeared to have been cut.
Her death is now being investigated as part of the wider Ekurhuleni murders inquiry, a case that has dominated headlines in Gauteng since July and left many women fearful about moving around alone.
The Ekurhuleni murders have now claimed nine women’s lives in just over two months, prompting growing pressure on police and politicians to explain why the killings continue despite a major investigation.
Gauteng’s acting provincial police commissioner, Major-General Fred Kekana, confirmed the discovery on Thursday, 17 September 2026. A passerby near a construction site found the body and alerted police.
Kekana said the woman appeared to be around 30 years old and had suffered a stab wound to her side. Her throat also appeared to have been cut. Forensic teams had not yet established an official cause of death by Thursday afternoon.
Early indications suggest she may have been killed elsewhere and later dumped at the scene. If confirmed, it would mirror a pattern seen in several of the previous Ekurhuleni murders cases currently under investigation.
Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the case would be incorporated into the broader Ekurhuleni murders investigation. A multidisciplinary team comprising detectives, forensic pathologists, trackers and K9 units has already been deployed.
For many residents, the latest discovery felt like another grim chapter in a story that began more than two months ago.
The timeline of the Ekurhuleni murders stretches back to 15 July, when a 37-year-old woman was found naked and bound with cable ties in an open field near the R21 in Kempton Park.
Two days later, on 17 July, 32-year-old Itumeleng Kekana disappeared. Her family searched hospitals, police stations and mortuaries for more than two weeks before a man walking to work discovered her body on Great North Road in Pomona on 3 August. She left behind a 14-year-old daughter.
A third woman, also aged 32, was found partially clothed near the R21 on 24 August.
On 7 September, a woman believed to be in her late twenties was recovered from a river in Clayville near Mall of Thembisa. She was wearing only her underwear.
Three days later, another badly decomposed body was discovered near the R21.
Then came the death of Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38, who had gone out for her usual run before being found dead behind a hotel in Rhodesfield.
Another body was later discovered in Olifantsfontein.
The latest identified victim before Thursday’s discovery was 38-year-old Dineo Evelyn Motapane, whose remains were found on a roadside in KwaThema, Springs, on 15 September. Her family confirmed her identity two days later.
Of the nine victims linked to the Ekurhuleni murders investigation, only Kekana, Moselakgomo and Motapane have so far been publicly named.
According to a breakdown published by IOL, five bodies have been found in Kempton Park, two in Olifantsfontein, one in KwaThema and one in Dawn Park.
Despite growing public concern, police have stopped short of declaring that the Ekurhuleni murders are the work of a single serial offender.
Investigators say they are pursuing a “person of interest” but have not disclosed the individual’s identity, gender or possible connection to any specific case.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has described the deaths as unacceptable and announced the formation of a high-level task team drawing expertise from across the South African Police Service.
Not everyone is waiting for official confirmation before drawing conclusions.
Elmarie Myburgh, a former SAPS criminal profiler who worked on serial murder and rape investigations, told eNCA that warning signs began appearing once a clear pattern emerged in the Ekurhuleni murders cases.
“After the third case, the lights would start flashing,” she said.
Myburgh explained that investigators would be examining crime scene similarities, victim profiles, forensic evidence and DNA results to determine whether links exist between the deaths and possibly other unsolved cases.
As concern over the Ekurhuleni murders continues to grow, authorities have increased efforts to secure information that could lead to an arrest.
SAPS has offered a reward of R400,000, while the Democratic Alliance has added R500,000, bringing the combined reward to R900,000.
Police have also intensified Operation Shanela in Kempton Park and surrounding areas.
Kekana urged women to take sensible precautions while exercising or walking alone, stressing that police were not attempting to restrict anyone’s freedom.
“This is not about restricting the freedom of women to move, exercise or live their lives,” he said. “It is about taking reasonable precautions while the police continue with these investigations.”
That message has not reassured everyone.
Campaigners argue that the Ekurhuleni murders reflect a deeper crisis facing South African women.
Gender-based violence and femicide were declared a national disaster in South Africa last year, yet advocacy groups say women continue to face unacceptable levels of danger.
The Soul City Institute for Social Justice said the circumstances surrounding the Ekurhuleni murders highlight broader systemic failures.
“A woman’s body does not lose dignity because she has died,” the organisation said in a statement, arguing that women being found dumped, injured and partially clothed in public spaces points to a crisis extending beyond any single investigation.
Older Gauteng residents say the fear now spreading through affected communities reminds them of darker periods in South Africa’s history.
Moses Sithole, the country’s most prolific convicted serial killer, murdered women around Atteridgeville during the 1990s before he was eventually captured.
Whether the Ekurhuleni murders ultimately prove to be the work of one offender, multiple perpetrators or a series of unrelated crimes remains unclear.
What is certain is that nine women who left home over the past two months never returned.
And in Villa Liza on Thursday morning, neighbours searching for answers in the latest chapter of the Ekurhuleni murders investigation instead found another reason to be afraid.
Anyone with information can contact the Crime Stop line on 08600-10111 or submit an anonymous tip through the MySAPS app.
