Cape Town – Police have named nine women whose bodies were discovered across Ekurhuleni and surrounding areas since July, as three suspects face questioning over the latest murder.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) said on Monday that a man and two women had been arrested over the murder of Jabulile Ntimba, whose body was found in Dawn Park on 17 September.
The three suspects were arrested over the weekend by members of the Gauteng Murder and Robbery Unit and are expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court.
SAPS said the investigation into Ntimba’s death represented a breakthrough, but further details would be presented in court.
The nine women whose deaths are being investigated were identified by police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe as:
- Busisiwe Mahlangu – found in Kempton Park on 15 July.
- Itumeleng Kekana – found in Kempton Park on 3 August.
- Nomfesane Mjobo – found in Kempton Park on 26 August.
- An unidentified woman – found in the Clayville River in Olifantsfontein on 7 September.
- Gracious Nkomo – found in Kempton Park on 10 September.
- Elizabeth Moselakgomo – found in Kempton Park on 12 September.
- A woman whose name is being withheld – found in Olifantsfontein on 14 September while police first notify her family.
- Dineo Motapane – found in Kwa-Thema on 15 September.
- Jabulile Ntimba – found in Dawn Park on 17 September.
The cases have triggered a major police investigation amid concerns that some of the deaths could be connected.
However, Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has cautioned that investigators have not confirmed that a serial killer is responsible for the deaths.
EKURHULENI KILLINGS | Police have arrested three suspects, one man and two women, in connection with the murder of a woman in Villa Lisa township near Dawn Park, Boksburg. The suspects are expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court today. pic.twitter.com/idB41Ly77E
— SABC News (@SABCNews) September 21, 2026
Police are examining the cases individually while also investigating possible links between them. Recent reporting has indicated differences in the alleged methods and possible motives in some of the cases.
According to IOL, the latest breakthrough follows the discovery of Ntimba’s body in Dawn Park last week. Police said the 30-year-old woman was found partially clothed and had suffered a fatal throat injury.
The investigation has since been elevated, with senior national police officials brought in to assist the team probing the killings. Cachalia previously confirmed that crime intelligence head Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo and KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi would assist the investigation led by Detective and Forensic Services head Lieutenant General Hilda Senthumule according to Sowetan
Meanwhile, police have opened a separate inquest after another woman’s body was found in Moroka Dam in Soweto on Sunday evening.
The unidentified woman, believed to be in her twenties, was found wrapped in a duvet. Police have not linked her death to the Ekurhuleni cases.
SAPS has urged anyone with information that could assist the investigations to contact their nearest police station, call Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPSApp.
The three suspects arrested in connection with Ntimba’s murder are expected to appear in court on Monday.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
