South African police have discovered the body of another woman in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, bringing to 11 the number of women found dead in the municipality over the past 10 weeks.
The latest victim was found in an open field around midday on Sunday, September 27, after a security company vehicle patrolling the area spotted the body and alerted police.
The identity and age of the woman, as well as the cause of her death, had not been established as of Sunday.
Eight Bodies in September
The discovery has heightened concern over the spate of killings, with eight of the 11 bodies discovered in September alone.
It came a day after another woman’s body was found near a cemetery in the same municipality. Gauteng provincial police chief Tommy Mthombeni said preliminary indications suggested that the woman had been killed with stones, although a post-mortem examination was expected to establish the exact cause of death.
Police subsequently arrested a man linked to that killing nearly 400 kilometres away after he allegedly left the area.
The arrest brings to four the number of people currently in custody in connection with individual cases among the deaths. Police have, however, stressed that they have not established that the 11 killings are connected or involve a common perpetrator.
Most of the earlier victims were women in their 20s and 30s. Some were found partially or completely undressed, while police said some cases showed indications of sexual assault.
Violence Against Women
The deaths have renewed attention on gender-based violence in South Africa.
According to figures cited by Africanews, the country’s Gender-Based Violence Command Centre received 6,782 distress calls between September 1 and 16, averaging more than 400 calls daily and representing a 21 per cent increase over the corresponding period in August.
Police are continuing investigations to identify the latest victim, establish the cause of her death and determine whether any links exist among the cases.
