Three arrested in South Africa over one of nine women's body finds

21 September 2026, 10: 18 BST. Updated 16 minutes ago.

Key points

• Their case relates to the death of Jabulile Ntimba, whose half-naked body was discovered wrapped in a sheet in Dawn Park last Thursday.
• Referring to all nine cases, acting police chief Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane remarked her officers were "working tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice".
• South Africa has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world.
• I built this 'AI aunt' for women after family tragedy in South Africa.
• The recent grim discoveries have sparked a national outcry regarding the scale of the challenge and rose the feeling of insecurity for numerous women.

Three suspects have been detained in South Africa in connection with the murder of a woman in an area east of Johannesburg – the last of nine recent cases in that region that has shone a spotlight on the level of violence against women in the country.

Under pressure to solve the spate of murders which has involved victims' bodies being dumped on a roadside, police have described the arrests of the three – a man and two women – as a "breakthrough".

Referring to all nine cases, acting police chief Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane remarked her officers were "working tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice". The three suspects are due in court on Monday.

For context, a number of of the recent victims were discovered partially clothed and with injuries, but police have stressed that they have not established whether all the deaths are connected or whether a serial killer is responsible.

Addressing journalists on Monday, deputy police chief Lt Gen Tebello Mosikili remarked that "a team of analysts are working hard to see if there are links to all these cases" but the killing of Ntimba "appears to be an indication of a murder that stemmed from a relationship. This includes. A possible love triangle".

South Africa has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. It additionally has a highly high murder rate and though authorities statistics do not identify the gender of the victims, a recent estimate from the country's Human Rights Commission indicated that, on average, six women were murdered every day between April and June this year.

For context, the recent grim discoveries have sparked a national outcry regarding the scale of the challenge and rose the feeling of insecurity for numerous women. You may additionally be interested in. Grim discoveries of murdered women spark fear in South Africa. South Africa calls gender violence a national disaster after protests.

Go to BBCAfrica.com, external for more news from the African continent.

In short, three arrested in South Africa over one of nine women' s body finds is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.