Nine Women Found Murdered in Ekurhuleni Since July as South Africa Faces Femicide Outcry
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Sep 18
Nine Women Found Murdered in Ekurhuleni Since July as South Africa Faces Femicide Outcry
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Sep 18
Summary
Three women's bodies found in Ekurhuleni this week, including 38-year-old Dineo Motapane, brought the toll in similar killings there to nine since July.
Only one arrest has been made since the first body was discovered on 15 July, and police say they still do not know whether the cases are linked to a serial killer.
Human Rights Commission data showed 569 women were killed nationwide between April and June—about six a day—with another 1,052 facing attempted murder.
President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged to leave "no stone unturned," while Amnesty International urged South Africa to recognize femicide as a separate crime.
The Ekurhuleni killings have deepened fear around Johannesburg and renewed pressure on the government, which declared gender-based violence a national disaster last November.