Johannesburg Finds 2 More Women Dead, Taking Ekurhuleni Toll to 8 Since July
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · Sep 16
Johannesburg Finds 2 More Women Dead, Taking Ekurhuleni Toll to 8 Since July
3 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Sep 16
Summary
Two women were found murdered days apart this week in Johannesburg’s eastern Ekurhuleni area, deepening fear after a string of killings near the city’s international airport.
Eight women’s bodies have been discovered there since July — many half naked and showing signs of assault — and police are investigating whether the deaths are linked.
Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38, vanished on September 9 during an evening run in Kempton Park; images of the mother of one have spread widely as residents curb daughters’ movements out of fear.
President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the cases prioritized, but campaigners say South Africa still has not properly funded or implemented its 2019 anti-femicide plan.
South Africa recorded 12.2 women killed per 100,000 people in 2022, nearly six times the global rate, underscoring why the latest murders have reignited anger over chronic gender-based violence.