- Nine bodies of murdered women have been discovered in Ekurhuleni since July, with the latest being Dineo Motapane, whose body was found this week.
- The first body was found in July, leading to an arrest just two days later, but only one arrest has been made in connection with the murders.
- Itumeleng, a 32-year-old shopkeeper, disappeared in July, and her body was found 17 days later, badly bruised and partially clothed.
- A 38-year-old woman disappeared on 9 September after leaving home for a run, and her body was found three days later.
- President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged to leave 'no stone unturned' in the investigation of these crimes.
- In November 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared gender-based violence and femicide a national crisis following a protest in Johannesburg.
- Amnesty International has called for femicide to be recognized as a separate crime, emphasizing the need for targeted action against gender-based violence.
- The Commission for Gender Equality has urged for an urgent safety audit of affected areas to improve safety measures.
- South Africa has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world, with women killed at a rate nearly six times the global average.
Since July, nine bodies of murdered women have been discovered in Ekurhuleni, South Africa, with only one arrest made. The victims, primarily in their 20s and 30s, were found in various states of undress and showed signs of extreme violence.12
The recent spate of murders has reignited national outrage over gender-based violence, a crisis that has plagued South Africa for years. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, South African women are killed at a rate nearly six times the global average. The Commission for Gender Equality has called for an urgent safety audit of the affected areas, emphasizing the need for better lighting, surveillance, and police visibility.89
The families of the victims are devastated. Nokwanda Matshikiza, mourning her niece Dineo Motapane, expressed, "What we are going to do, I have no idea, but something must give." The police have not confirmed whether they are dealing with a serial killer, as most victims suffered extreme violence before their deaths.
In the first half of 2023, 569 women were murdered in South Africa, averaging six a day. Rights group Amnesty International has called for femicide to be recognized as a separate crime, stating, "Every day that femicide remains unrecognised as a crime is a failure to confront the targeted killing of women." The government faces increasing pressure to address this ongoing crisis, which was declared a national disaster last year.7
“President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged to leave 'no stone unturned' in investigating the crimes, while Amnesty International urged South Africa to recognize femicide as a separate crime, noting it is criminalized in 33 countries. The Commission for Gender Equality has called for an urgent safety audit of affected areas.”
The Guardian
BBC
