The R400,000 Ekurhuleni reward has been announced as police investigate the deaths of eight women whose bodies were discovered across the Gauteng metropolitan area in less than two months.
The cases have caused grief, fear and nationwide anger about gender-based violence and femicide. Police have assembled a specialised multidisciplinary team and are appealing to residents for information that could identify the victims, clarify whether the cases are connected and lead investigators to those responsible.
Only two of the eight women had been identified at the time of the latest police briefing. One person has been arrested in connection with the first case reported in July, while another person of interest is reportedly being pursued in relation to a separate case.
Police have cautioned that investigators have not yet established that all eight deaths are connected. Claims that one serial offender is responsible therefore remain unconfirmed.
Table of Contents
1. What Police Have Confirmed
The South African Police Service is reviewing eight cases involving women whose bodies were discovered in Kempton Park, Rhodesfield, Clayville, Olifantsfontein and Kwa-Thema between July and September 2026.
Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane confirmed that a specialised team had been established, bringing together experienced investigators, forensic specialists and crime-intelligence personnel.
Police are examining the cases collectively to establish whether any of them are linked. Similarities have been observed in some cases, but investigators have not concluded that the same person or group was responsible for all eight deaths.
The investigation could ultimately find:
- A connection between some or all of the cases.
- Different perpetrators acting independently.
- One offender responsible for some cases but not others.
- No direct connection between particular incidents.
Maintaining these possibilities is important because investigators must follow physical, digital and forensic evidence rather than public assumptions.
According to SABC News, only two victims had been identified when the reward was announced. Police urged families who could not account for a missing relative to contact them.
2. Why the R400,000 Ekurhuleni Reward Was Announced
Police are offering R400,000 for information that could assist the investigation and lead to arrests.
The reward recognises that someone in the community may possess an important piece of information without realising its significance.
A person may have:
- Seen a vehicle stopped in an unusual location.
- Observed suspicious activity near one of the discovery sites.
- Spoken to one of the women shortly before she disappeared.
- Noticed sudden or concerning behaviour from someone they know.
- Captured relevant footage on a security camera or dashboard camera.
- Seen clothing, personal belongings or other objects being discarded.
- Heard someone discussing information that was not publicly available.
- Helped identify an unidentified victim.
The Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron, emphasised that people do not need to have witnessed a murder to possess useful information. A seemingly small observation could become important when combined with evidence already held by investigators. Parliament published the appeal for public cooperation on 15 September 2026.
Residents should not conduct their own investigations, confront possible suspects or place themselves in danger. Information should be passed directly to SAPS.
3. What Is Known About the Investigation
The first case currently included in the broader investigation dates back to 15 July 2026. A 37-year-old woman was found near the R21 highway in Kempton Park.
Police arrested a suspect in connection with that individual case shortly afterwards. The arrest does not establish that the person was connected to the other deaths.
More women were subsequently found in areas including Kempton Park, Rhodesfield, Clayville, Olifantsfontein and Kwa-Thema.
Among those identified was 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo. She was reported missing after she failed to return from a run on 9 September. Her body was discovered in Rhodesfield on 12 September and later identified by her family.
As cases recorded at different police stations were reviewed, the number included in the coordinated investigation increased. Police confirmed the eighth case after identifying an earlier report involving a woman found in the Clayville River near Thembisa Mall.
A high-level multidisciplinary team is now examining intelligence, forensic evidence and possible connections. Police also plan to increase visibility in Kempton Park and surrounding areas.
4. Remembering the Women as People
Reporting on multiple deaths can unintentionally reduce individuals to a number. These women were not simply “victims one to eight”.
They were members of families and communities. They had relationships, responsibilities, routines and personal ambitions. Their deaths leave behind people waiting for answers and, in some cases, families who have not yet been able to identify or bury their loved ones.
Moselakgomo was a mother, a professional, a church choir member and a runner. Her disappearance gained attention after her eight-year-old daughter realised that she had not returned home.
Her story has resonated with many South Africans because going for a run is an ordinary activity. Women should not have to treat exercise, travel, employment or participation in community life as an unreasonable risk.
The dignity of the other women must also be protected, including those whose identities have not been publicly established. Their bodies should not be photographed, circulated or discussed in dehumanising language.
People who encounter potentially relevant images or evidence should provide them to police rather than posting them on social media.
5. How the Deaths Are Affecting Ekurhuleni Communities
The discoveries have created fear among women who live, work, travel or exercise in affected areas.
Some residents may change their routines, avoid outdoor activities or depend on others for transport. Families may become anxious when a relative is late, while runners and commuters may feel that familiar public spaces are no longer safe.
This fear has a social and economic cost.
When women cannot move freely:
- Their ability to work or seek employment may be affected.
- Students may struggle to travel to classes safely.
- Outdoor exercise and community participation decline.
- Families face additional transport and childcare pressures.
- Women may lose access to public spaces that belong equally to them.
- Anxiety can continue even after the immediate investigation ends.
The burden of preventing violence should not be transferred entirely to women. Exercising caution may reduce some immediate risks, but women cannot be expected to solve violent crime by restricting their own lives.
Safe communities require functioning streetlights, reliable public transport, visible policing, responsive missing-person procedures and effective investigation of violence against women.
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6. Why Speculation Can Harm the Investigation
The similarities between some cases have led to speculation about a serial offender. Police and public representatives have stressed that this has not been confirmed.
The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Community Safety Portfolio Committee warned against claims that could compromise the investigation or create unnecessary panic. It called on police to examine every possible connection while relying on evidence. The committee’s statement is available through the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.
Unverified accusations can:
- Direct public suspicion towards innocent people.
- Place witnesses or families at risk.
- Cause useful information to become mixed with rumours.
- Alert a possible offender to investigative developments.
- Create panic unsupported by confirmed evidence.
- Interfere with a future prosecution.
- Further traumatise victims’ families.
Responsible reporting should distinguish clearly between similarities observed by police and connections proven through evidence.
7. What Useful Information May Look Like
A person does not need a complete explanation of what happened before contacting the police.
Investigators may benefit from:
- CCTV, doorbell-camera or dashcam footage from affected areas.
- Information about a missing woman’s last movements.
- Details about a vehicle, including its colour, model or partial registration.
- A description of someone seen with a victim.
- Information about abandoned clothing or belongings.
- Reports of threatening or violent behaviour.
- Information about suspicious cleaning, disposal or concealment activities.
- Details known only to someone connected to a crime.
- Information that could help identify an unknown victim.
People should provide the original information as accurately as possible. Dates, approximate times, locations and descriptions may all be valuable.
Witnesses should avoid adding assumptions to what they observed. It is more helpful to tell police exactly what was seen or heard than to offer an unsupported conclusion.
8. How to Report Information Safely
Information can be provided anonymously through the official SAPS Crime Stop line:
Crime Stop: 08600 10111
SAPS also allows members of the public to submit tip-offs through the MySAPS mobile application. Users can choose to remain anonymous or allow Crime Stop personnel to communicate with them.
The official SAPS MySAPS guidance explains that users can attach photographs, short videos or voice clips to a tip-off. Those who choose to communicate may receive a reference number and provide additional information later.
When reporting:
- Give the clearest possible account of what you know.
- Provide dates, times and locations where possible.
- Preserve original photographs or video files.
- Do not edit or enhance evidence.
- Record the reference number supplied.
- Do not publish sensitive evidence online.
- Do not warn or confront the person being reported.
- Contact emergency services immediately if someone is in immediate danger.
The official SAPS Crime Stop service encourages people to report information even when they do not have every detail. One observation may provide the missing link investigators need.
9. Why Safety Advice Cannot Be the Only Response
Police have encouraged women in affected areas to remain vigilant, avoid isolated spaces and exercise in groups where possible.
Such guidance may be useful during an active investigation, but it cannot become the country’s main response to violence against women.
Advice aimed only at potential victims can unintentionally suggest that women are responsible for preventing crimes committed against them. It may also fail to protect women who are harmed in their homes, workplaces or relationships.
A more complete response must focus on offenders and systems by:
- Improving visible policing in high-risk areas.
- Repairing streetlights and unsafe public infrastructure.
- Responding rapidly when a person is reported missing.
- Strengthening forensic and detective capacity.
- Protecting witnesses who provide information.
- Monitoring repeat violent offenders.
- Improving cooperation between police stations.
- Securing successful prosecutions.
- Challenging social attitudes that excuse violence against women.
Women can take temporary precautions without society accepting that fear and restricted movement should become normal.
10. The Wider Gender-Based Violence Crisis
The Ekurhuleni investigation has renewed concern about South Africa’s wider gender-based violence and femicide crisis.
According to previously published SAPS data, 5,578 women were murdered during the year ending March 2024. The scale of violence has led activists to demand stronger prevention, policing and justice measures.
The deaths in Ekurhuleni should not be treated as an isolated headline that disappears when public attention moves elsewhere.
They raise urgent questions about:
- How quickly missing-person reports are handled.
- Whether police stations share information effectively.
- Whether dangerous public spaces are identified and improved.
- Whether families receive timely communication.
- Whether forensic services have sufficient resources.
- Whether communities trust available reporting mechanisms.
- Whether offenders believe they can harm women without consequences.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised that no effort will be spared in investigating the deaths. The public will judge that commitment by arrests based on credible evidence, transparent communication and successful prosecutions—not statements alone.
11. What Meaningful Action Should Include
A serious response must extend beyond increased patrols during the period of public attention.
Meaningful action should include:
- Justice for the families: Every woman must be identified, and each case must be investigated thoroughly.
- Transparent updates: Police should provide confirmed information without compromising evidence.
- Improved public infrastructure: Municipalities should address poor lighting, neglected public spaces and unsafe pedestrian routes.
- Community cooperation: Residents, businesses and community-policing forums should preserve and report useful information.
- Support for affected families: Relatives may need trauma counselling, legal guidance and help navigating investigative processes.
- Accountability for perpetrators: Arrests must be followed by properly prepared cases and fair prosecutions.
- Long-term prevention: Schools, workplaces, families and communities must challenge attitudes that normalise control, harassment and violence.
Men also have a central responsibility. Preventing gender-based violence cannot remain a conversation in which women are expected to warn, protect and mourn one another while men remain passive.
12. Final Thoughts
The R400,000 Ekurhuleni reward may help uncover information that identifies victims and leads police to those responsible. Anyone with relevant knowledge should report it through official channels, even if the information appears incomplete.
At the same time, the reward cannot be the only measure of progress. The families need answers, communities need safety and South Africans need confidence that violence against women will be investigated with urgency and care.
These women must not be remembered only as part of a disturbing number. Each was a person whose life mattered.
Justice requires careful investigation, responsible public cooperation and a sustained commitment to creating a country in which women can move through their communities without fear.
13. Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is the famous serial-killer profiler in South Africa?
Dr Micki Pistorius is one of South Africa’s best-known criminal profilers. She became the first psychological profiler appointed by the South African Police Service and worked on several high-profile serial-murder investigations. Her memoir, Catch Me a Killer, inspired a television drama based on her career. It is important to note that SAPS has not confirmed that a serial killer is responsible for the Ekurhuleni women’s deaths.
2. Is Kempton Park in Ekurhuleni?
Yes. Kempton Park falls within the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng. It is situated near OR Tambo International Airport and forms part of the broader East Rand region. Several of the women’s bodies included in the current police investigation were discovered in or around Kempton Park.
3. What are the latest news headlines in Ekurhuleni?
As of 16 September 2026, the leading Ekurhuleni news story concerns the investigation into the deaths of eight women found across areas including Kempton Park, Rhodesfield, Clayville, Olifantsfontein and Kwa-Thema. Police have offered an R400,000 reward, established a specialised investigative team and increased police visibility. One arrest relates to the first case reported in July, but SAPS has not confirmed that all eight deaths are connected. SABC News reported the latest police briefing.
4. Who was the auditor killed in Kempton Park, South Africa?
The auditor was Mpho Mafole, an Ekurhuleni municipal official who was killed in a separate case in 2025. He was reportedly shot in his vehicle in Esselen Park, Kempton Park, shortly after finalising an investigation involving a major municipal tender. His killing is not part of the current investigation into the deaths of eight women in Ekurhuleni. Parliament’s Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Committee publicly condemned Mafole’s killing and called for a thorough investigation.
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