BY LERATO PHOSISI
A nation is watching in horror. The body of a ninth woman has been discovered in Dawn Park, Ekurhuleni, deepening a crisis that has plunged the East Rand into fear and placed South Africa’s police under intense international scrutiny. The grim discovery was made on Thursday morning, 17 September 2026, in an open field in Lama Street, Villa Lisa.
Gauteng Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major-General Fred Kekana, who was at the scene, confirmed the finding and said preliminary investigations indicate the woman was murdered elsewhere and her body dumped.
“The preliminary information shows that the body was dumped at the scene and the incident happened somewhere else,” Kekana said.
Police described the victim as a woman believed to be in her early 30s. She was found half-naked — wearing only a blue T-shirt and pink underwear wrapped in a sheet, with visible bruises and stab wounds. Preliminary reports from the scene indicate her throat had been slit. Her identity has not yet been established.
The scene was one of anguish. Women from the community, still in slippers, gowns and blankets, rushed from their homes after hearing the news, gathering behind police tape as forensic teams worked. Some wept openly.
This latest killing brings to nine the number of women’s bodies discovered across Ekurhuleni in just two months — since July. The bodies have been found in bushes, open fields and along roadsides in Kempton Park, Pomona, Rhodesfield, Clayville, Olifantsfontein, KwaThema and now Dawn Park. Several victims were found naked or partially clothed, with signs of strangulation, stabbing and binding.
Only three victims have been formally identified so far: 32-year-old Itumeleng Kekana, 38-year-old runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, and 38-year-old Dineo Evelyn Motapane, whose body was found in KwaThema on Tuesday and identified by her family at the Springs Mortuary on Wednesday.
Police have not officially declared the cases the work of a serial killer, but have confirmed that a high-level multidisciplinary team of experts has been mobilised.
“The unidentified body was discovered earlier this morning. This brings the total number of bodies discovered to nine in two months. A multidisciplinary team of experts has already been mobilised to work on the cases and ensure that those responsible for these crimes are brought before the court,” said police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi.
The team includes detectives, forensic experts, and intelligence operatives, with support from the State Security Agency and the Department of Home Affairs.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who visited the province’s command centre, vowed a fierce response. “Someone has declared war against us and we will push back. We are not going to surrender,” Lesufi said.
Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili also attended the Dawn Park scene, expressing confidence in the investigation.
Police have issued an urgent appeal for information and have offered a R400 000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. The DA has added a further R500 000 reward.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or submit an anonymous tip-off via the MySAPS App. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence. This is a developing story
