‘We are scared as women,’ say Kempton Park residents after fifth body is found

Elizabeth Moselakgomo was the “glue of the family”. The 38-year-old Rhodesfield, Kempton Park, resident held the family together, according to her uncle and the family’s spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Andries Mataila.

“Tsontso”, as she was known to those close to her, had a particularly close bond with her eight-year-old daughter. According to Mataila, that’s what prompted the child to alert relatives just “minutes” after her mother failed to return from her run at her usual time on Wednesday, 9 September. 

Moselakgomo’s body was discovered on Saturday, 12 September, behind a hotel in Rhodesfield. Her family identified her remains at the Germiston Mortuary on Monday afternoon, 14 September.

She was one of five women who have been found dead in Kempton Park and the adjacent area since July, with the killings prompting police to intensify investigations, while warning the public against speculation that a serial killer may be operating in the area.

The latest victim was discovered on Monday morning after a passerby spotted her body on Porcelain Avenue in Olifantsfontein and alerted authorities. The unidentified woman was found partially naked and bruised in the street, where police suspect she was dumped.

During the forensic investigation at the scene, the SAPS deployed its K9 unit to assist in uncovering physical evidence. The body was later taken to the Germiston Mortuary.

Police have not confirmed whether the five deaths are linked. However, similarities between the cases have raised concern.

The five victims were all black women in their thirties; their bodies were found in Kempton Park and nearby Olifantsfontein, all partially or completely naked. Their bodies also had visible injuries, although the severity varied between cases.

A regular runner

At Moselakgomo’s family home in Rhodesfield, her uncle Isaac Nkadimeng and Mataila reflected on her life and the painful timeline surrounding her disappearance.

Moselakgomo, a retail manager at Festival Mall, was remembered by relatives as a devoted mother, churchgoer and professional.

Addressing how her eight-year-old daughter was coping, Mataila noted that the police psychology unit was assisting the family, adding that the child was with psychologists and it remained unclear whether she had yet been informed of her mother’s death.

Moselakgomo was an avid runner who regularly trained along Main Road in Rhodesfield. When she failed to return from an early evening run on 9 September, her young daughter immediately alerted family members, who reported her missing to the police.

A missing-persons alert for Moselakgomo circulated widely on social media and printed flyers were posted across the streets of Rhodesfield.

Her body was discovered on 12 September on York Street, Rhodesfield, adjacent to the R21 highway, near the Southern Sun OR Tambo.

On Monday, community members had set up a memorial at the site where Moselakgomo’s body was found, laying down candles and praying for her.

Police intensify investigation

Before Monday’s discovery of the fifth body, the SAPS released a statement saying investigations had intensified following the discovery of four women’s bodies in Kempton Park.

“While investigations are still under way and SAPS has not, at this stage, confirmed that the deaths are linked to a serial killer, the similarities are sufficiently concerning for the police to issue a public warning and intensify investigations,” said the SAPS.

A task team has been established comprising detectives from specialised units, including the Murder and Robbery Unit and the Investigative Psychology Unit.

The police have appealed to residents, motorists, security personnel and other members of the community who may have observed suspicious activity in Rhodesfield and surrounding areas to come forward.

Moselakgomo is the only victim who has been publicly named by the SAPS. 

The SAPS advised women and girls in the community to take precautionary measures, including travelling in groups, avoiding isolated areas and sharing their locations with loved ones.

One arrest

Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said of the five victims, only Moselakgomo and the first victim had been identified. Identifying the third victim, found on 10 September, has been particularly difficult as her remains were in an advanced state of decomposition. 

One of the cases has resulted in an arrest. The body of the first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found near the R21 in Rhodesfield on 15 July. Like the other victims, she was naked, but also bound with cable ties.

A suspect, reported to be the victim’s partner, was arrested on 17 July in connection with her murder. Major General Fred Kekana, Gauteng acting provincial commissioner of the SAPS, confirmed that “investigators have already made progress” in this case. 

The case appears to be being treated separately from the four subsequent killings.

Warning to perpetrators

On Monday, the deputy national police commissioner, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, said 17 women had been reported missing in the Kempton Park area since January, 13 of whom had been located by police and safely reunited with their families.

Mosikili added that a woman was kidnapped in Kempton Park on Sunday, but had since been found and safely reunited with her family.

“We have joined resources with the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department [EMPD] to increase visibility and strengthen our operational response in the affected areas. We are putting more boots on the ground,” he said, adding that investigators were “analysing victim profiles and suspect profiles”.

Mosikili warned “whoever is responsible for these killings: listen carefully. If you are responsible for taking these women’s lives, your freedom is temporary. You may be hiding this evening. You may think that you have removed the evidence. You may think that nobody saw you or knows who you are.

“Do not make that mistake. Both the SAPS and EMPD have the capability, the resources and the determination to find you.”

Outrage over killings

Community members, alongside organisations including the Kempton Park Community Forum and the Girl2Woman Foundation, held a march in Rhodesfield on Monday afternoon at which some shared their fears and frustrations.

“We are scared as women of Kempton Park,” said community member Nosiphiwo Galada.

“Enough is enough… A woman cannot be downgraded to this point,” said Pastor Portia Lesole, a Rhodesfield resident.

Some community members expressed frustration at what they described as a lack of police intervention and efforts to protect women in Ekurhuleni and across South Africa.

Demonstrators called for increased police presence, saying women and children are vulnerable in the area and are increasingly restricted from moving freely in their own communities because of the dangers they face.

Running clubs across South Africa have organised runs in memory of Moselakgomo, and communities countrywide plan to hold peaceful demonstrations this week. Team Vitality, Moselakgomo’s club, released a statement expressing sadness over her death and extending condolences to her family.

Sonke Gender Justice called for urgent action.

“Five women found dead in the same area within two months is not an isolated incident. It is a public safety crisis that demands an urgent and decisive response,” said the organisation. DM