Police in Johannesburg announced that the body of a woman has been found in a cemetery in Tembisa, marking the tenth such killing in the area over the last few months. The victim was identified by a friend who had been with her the night before, and police are gathering evidence at the scene.
Jakob Mthombeni, the Gauteng police commissioner, said the series of deaths could indicate a serial killer, citing similarities in victim profile and circumstances. He added that it remains too early to confirm a link, but the “modus operandi” appears consistent across the cases.
The killings have inflamed a national debate over South Africa’s alarming rates of gender‑based violence. According to a recent Human Rights Commission report, 569 women were killed and 1,052 were injured in attempted murder from April to June alone.
The bodies have mostly been found in the diamond market suburb of Kempton Park and the neighbouring Tembisa township, all in close proximity to Johannesburg’s central business district.
In response to the spike in women’s murders, the national government declared gender‑based violence a disaster in 2025, putting pressure on law‑enforcement agencies to step up investigations. Several men have already faced court charges for involvement in related cases.
The latest discovery adds to the growing crisis, prompting calls for urgent reforms and better protection for women across South Africa.
