Twelve women have been killed in one part of South Africa since July. Here's what we know so far

ByKhanyisile Ngcobo Reporting fromJohannesburg. 28 September 2026, 17: 56 BST.

Key points

• Busisiwe Mahlangu's body was discovered in Kempton Park on 15 July 2026, the first of a string of bodies identified in Ekurhuleni within a two-month period.
• Itumeleng Kekana, 32, was the second woman whose body was discovered in the same area on 3 August 2026.
• The body of Dineo Motapane, 38, was discovered on 15 September just two days after she was last seen alive.
• South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates, with 5, 427 individuals murdered between April and June this year alone.
• The body of Jabulile Ntimba, in her 30s, was discovered half-naked and wrapped in a sheet on the side of a road in Boksburg on 17 September.

Police in South Africa have confirmed the discovery of the bodies of three more women in an area east of Johannesburg, bringing the total number of bodies discovered there to 12 in just two months.

Meanwhile, the latest bodies were discovered in Ekurhuleni between Saturday and Monday morning, according to local police.

Police have created arrests in three of the cases. It do not appear to be related to the others. Nevertheless, police have remarked they cannot rule out the possibility of a serial killer.

For context, the discoveries have caused widespread alarm in Ekurhuleni, particularly around Kempton Park, and come against the backdrop of longstanding reservations concerning high levels of violence against women in South Africa. Here's what we know.

Busisiwe Mahlangu's body was discovered in Kempton Park on 15 July 2026, the first of a string of bodies identified in Ekurhuleni within a two-month period. The 37-year-old was discovered naked with her hands bound with cable ties.

Police arrested a suspect, believed to be her partner, two days after her murder. He has been in police custody since then and has not been linked to the other deaths that followed.

In practice, the young mother disappeared in July and her body was discovered badly bruised, partially clothed and dumped on a bridge in Kempton Park. No arrests have been created so far.

Nomfesane Mjobo's body was discovered on 26 August, additionally in Kempton Park.

Few details around her death have been published but like most of the victims, she was identified partially or fully naked with bruises. No arrests have been created.

Police confirmed the discovery of an unknown woman, in her 20s, on 7 September. The woman's body was discovered floating in a river in Olifantsfontain wearing only her underwear.

No further details have been shared regarding her death and no arrests have been produced.

Gracious Nkomo was the fifth woman whose body was discovered, again in the Kempton Park area.

Her partially clothed body was discovered on 10 September along a road close to South Africa's busiest airport. No arrests have been created in the 28-year-old's death.

After a highly publicised nationwide search for her, elizabeth Moselakgomo was the sixth woman to be discovered. The 38-year-old went missing while out for a daily run near her home in Kempton Park.

Her body was discovered badly bruised and partially clothed on 12 September. It was the discovery of her body that really raised the alarm regarding the spate of killings. No arrests have been created in her case.

Police confirmed the discovery of another body just two days after Moselakgomo was discovered. The body was discovered in Olifantsfontein on 14 September, but police have withheld her name as her family has not yet been informed.

Meanwhile, the body of Dineo Motapane, 38, was discovered on 15 September just two days after she was last seen alive.

Motapane's battered and partly burned body was discovered on the side of the road in Springs, another part of Ekurhuleni.

She leaves behind a young child. No arrests have been created in her case.

Notably, the body of Jabulile Ntimba, in her 30s, was discovered half-naked and wrapped in a sheet on the side of a road in Boksburg on 17 September. This was the ninth body discovered in Ekurhuleni.

According to police, it appears Ntimba was killed since of a feasible love triangle. Three individuals, two women and a man, were initially arrested for her grisly murder but the man was issued due to insufficient evidence.

Meanwhile, the two women have been charged with premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice.

For context, the body of Ntombifuthi Nxumalo, the 10th body discovered in Ekurhuleni, was discovered at a cemetery in the Tembisa neighbourhood north-east of central Johannesburg on 26 September. She was discovered naked with serious head injuries as well as stones near her body.

This has led to police believing she may have been stoned to death.

For context, a 36-year-old man was arrested a day after Nxumalo's death after he had travelled to another province. He faces a murder charge.

For context, the body of a yet-to-be identified woman was discovered in Springs on Sunday – the 11th body identified in Ekurhuleni.

For context, the grim discovery was created by a security business patrolling the area.

Meanwhile, the woman was discovered in an open field, but no further details have been shared.

Boitumelo Gift Mashita was shot and killed on Monday in Tembisa Ekurhuleni. The 23-year-old woman was on her way to work when she was gunned down and her belongings were taken.

Police say her estranged husband. This person they suspected of being responsible for her murder, was afterwards identified dead inside his vehicle in Midrand.

Police have not discovered any link between this case and the discovery of the other bodies.

While most of the bodies were discovered in the same area, police confirmed the discovery of another body concerning 39 miles (63 km) away from Ekurhuleni on 20 September.

Meanwhile, the body of a young woman, believed to be in her 20s, was discovered wrapped in a duvet in a dam in Soweto, south-west of Johannesburg. It's unclear if her murder is linked to those in Ekurhuleni.

President Cyril Ramaphosa remarked the killing of these women and others was a "stain on our national conscience".

South African police statistics do not differentiate victims by gender but the South African Human Rights Commission remarked last week that 569 women were killed between April and June this year. This works out as an average of six women killed each day.

Police have set up a task team to investigate these murders and have offered a reward of 400, 000 rand ($24, 000; £18, 000) for information that could lead to arrests. You may additionally be interested in. Grim discoveries of murdered women spark fear in South Africa.

South African white genocide does not exist, new ambassador to US tells BBC.

For now, twelve women have been killed in one part of South Africa since remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.