Bodies of eight women found in same area of Johannesburg as public alert issued

Bodies of eight women found in same area of Johannesburg as public alert issued Cops in South Africa have called for calm amid speculation that the grim discoveries could be the work of a serial killer - but the similarities between the victims have led cops to issue a public warning The discovery of the bodies of eight women in same area of Johannesburg has sent shockwaves through South Africa with police issuing a public warning. The horrifying finds were all made in the last two months in the Kempton Park area, in the east of the city, South African police said. Cops have called for calm amid speculation that the grim discoveries could be the work of a serial killer - with officers saying all possibilities are being looked into. Gauteng provincial commissioner Fred Kekana did say that “the similarities” in the killings and proximity of the locations where they were found “are sufficiently concerning for the police to issue a public warning and intensify investigations.” The discoveries have also highlighted the scourge of femicide and high levels of violent crime in the country. Mr Kekana said police were examining whether the cases were linked, but warned against prematurely describing the deaths as the work of one perpetrator or a serial killer. “Investigators are considering all possibilities, including the possibility of multiple suspects or separate perpetrators,” he said. “Police are comparing the evidence, timelines, locations, victim profiles and circumstances of each case before reaching conclusions.” The first five bodies were discovered in the Kempton Park area with some of the more recent discoveries made in Olifantsfontein and KwaThema areas, about 15 miles and 21 away respectively. On Wednesday police confirmed there had been a total of eight victims. All were women between the ages of 20 and 38, and all were found either naked or partially clothed with bruises on their bodies, according to authorities. The body of the first woman was discovered on 17 July, naked and restrained with cable ties. A man believed to have been the victim’s boyfriend was arrested and remains in custody, police said. One of the victims was identified as Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38, a runner, who went missing last week. Police were alerted to her disappearance after her eight-year-old daughter raised the alarm when her mother failed to return from her daily afternoon jog. She was found dead several days later. The body recovered in Olifantsfontein on Tuesday was found naked and in an advanced stage of decomposition. The youngest victim has been identified as a 20-year-old woman. A national outcry has been sparked over the high rates of femicide and violent crime in the country with calls for more to be done to protect women. South Africa recorded 5,427 murders between April and July this year - an average of about 45 per day, the latest crime statistics show. The country also has some of the highest rates of femicide anywhere in the world, the United Nations’ agency for gender equality has previously said. A study in 2022 by a South African think tank found that more than 35% of South African adult women had experienced physical or sexual violence at some point. Authorities have offered a cash reward for any information about the murders.