South African police recovered the body of an 11th woman in an open field in the Ekurhuleni municipality on Sunday, September 28, 2026. The discovery brings a grim new total to a string of female bodies found near Johannesburg since mid-July, intensifying national concern over violent crime.
South African police discovered the body of another woman east of Johannesburg on Sunday, September 28, 2026, marking the 11th female body found near the country’s commercial capital since mid-July. According to police spokeswoman Brigadier Brenda Muridili, a security company vehicle patrolling the Ekurhuleni municipality noticed the body in an open field at about midday local time (10:00 GMT) and alerted authorities.
Details regarding the victim’s identity, age, and cause of death were not immediately available. The latest discovery follows the recovery of a semi-naked woman’s body near a cemetery in the same municipality just one day earlier, on Saturday, September 27.
Investigation and Arrests in Ekurhuleni Murders
Provincial police chief Tommy Mthombeni stated that the victim found near the cemetery on Saturday appeared to have been stoned to death, though a post-mortem examination is required to confirm the exact cause of death. Law enforcement has arrested a man linked to that specific killing nearly 400km (250 miles) away, bringing the total number of people in custody in connection with the series of deaths to four.
While investigators work to determine whether the murders are connected, communities near Johannesburg have expressed growing concern that the same killer or killers are responsible. Mthombeni told state broadcaster SABC that some of the murders share similarities, but cautioned that there is no conclusive evidence yet proving a single perpetrator or group is behind all of them. He noted that the ninth victim, found on September 17, appeared to be an isolated case stemming from a relationship-related matter, for which two women have been charged with murder.
National Outcry Over High Femicide Rates
The string of discoveries has intensified public scrutiny of violence against women in South Africa, a nation that maintains one of the highest femicide rates in the world, averaging 15 women killed per day according to police data.
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the recovery of the bodies while campaigning for upcoming local elections, as reported by broadcaster eNCA. This continues to make us very sad, and in many ways, it’s a shame on the men of South Africa that we continue to kill the women of our beautiful country,
Ramaphosa said on Saturday regarding the discovery of the 10th victim in Thembisa.
Prior to Saturday’s find, all the deceased women were in their 20s or 30s, with several discovered completely or partially naked. The sequence began in July and August with three bodies found within 6km (4 miles) of one another in Ekurhuleni. That pattern accelerated earlier this month when six bodies were recovered over a 10-day span in the same municipality. The very first body, found in mid-July, was naked and restrained with cable ties; although the victim’s boyfriend was subsequently arrested, no charges were filed in connection with that initial case.
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