--- title: "Fourth Ekurhuleni victim identified as serial killer fears escalate after discovery of ninth body" description: "A ninth woman’s body found in Villa Liza raises the toll to nine in Ekurhuleni since July; former SAPS profiler urges treating cases as a serial investigation." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "KILLING SPREE" authors: - name: "Reitumetse Pilane" url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reitumetse-pilane/" - name: "Felix Dlangamandla" url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/felix-dlangamandla/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-17-fourth-ekurhuleni-murder-victim-identified-ninth-womans-body-found/" published: "2026-09-17T21:44:20" updated: "2026-09-17T23:44:43" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 1210 --- # Fourth Ekurhuleni victim identified as serial killer fears escalate after discovery of ninth body > A ninth woman’s body found in Villa Liza raises the toll to nine in Ekurhuleni since July; former SAPS profiler urges treating cases as a serial investigation. By Reitumetse Pilane and Felix Dlangamandla · Published 17 September 2026, 23:44 SAST · Updated 18 September 2026, 01:44 SAST ## Key points - Family identify 28‑year‑old Gracious Nkomo as one of the victims found partially clothed along the R21 in Kempton Park; she had been reported missing for weeks. - Police discovered a ninth body in Villa Liza, Dawn Park on 17 September — the ninth woman found across Ekurhuleni since July, many bodies dumped near the R21. - Former SAPS profiler Gérard Labuschagne says the pattern and victimology point to a serial offender and urges the cases be treated as such; SAPS has not confirmed links. - Residents are terrified and protesting; police warn against circulating unverified, graphic images on social media that traumatise families and hinder investigations. ## Content On Thursday evening, 17 September 2026, SAPS said that 28-year-old Gracious Nkomo was positively identified by her family at the Germiston mortuary. Nkomo’s body was found partially clothed and in a state of decomposition along the R21 in Kempton Park on 10 September 2026. A missing-persons alert for Nkomo has been circulating across social media platforms for more than two weeks. The widely circulated alert said that Nkomo was working at a lodge in Kempton Park at the time of her disappearance. Her identification comes as police investigate the deaths of women whose bodies have been discovered across [Ekurhuleni](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-16-ekurhuleni-under-lockdown-police-launch-manhunt-in-kempton-park-after-eighth-murder-victim-found/?dm_source=blocks-horizontal&dm_medium=card-link&dm_campaign=inform&dm_position=2) since July, with similarities among some of the cases raising concerns about a possible connection. Nkomo is among four of nine murdered women who have so far [been identified](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-17-brothers-agonising-search-for-ekurhuleni-killings-victim-itumeleng-kekana/?dm_source=blocks-grid-square&dm_medium=card-link&dm_campaign=inform&dm_position=6). Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane offered her condolences to Nkomo’s loved ones and said the multidisciplinary team of investigators and specialists was continuing to work “around the clock” to establish the circumstances surrounding each case and identify those responsible. ![Gracious Nkomo](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/e0kSP2j2WvqMVRhZsltCZCWZV8o=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Tumi-Serialkillerinvestigation1_720709.jpeg) *The family of 28-year-old Gracious Nkomo (above) has positively identified her as one of the women whose bodies were discovered along the R21 in Kempton Park. (Photo: SAPS)* ### Ninth victim added to the investigation Nkomo’s identification comes after the body of a woman believed to be about 30 years old was found on Thursday morning, 17 September 2026, in an open space on Lama Street in the Villa Liza area of Dawn Park, Boksburg. Her body was discovered partially clothed and with multiple stab wounds. Acting Gauteng Police Commissioner Major General Frank Kekana said that the woman’s throat had probably been slit, although the forensic team is yet to provide confirmation. He also said preliminary indications suggested her body had been dumped. Her identity has not yet been formally established. Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the case would be added to the investigation into the deaths of women in Ekurhuleni since July. “The unidentified body was discovered earlier this morning, 17 September 2026. This brings the total number of bodies discovered to nine in two months,” Nevhuhulwi said. ![Police,Villa Liza](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/KozqvBQNr2npbrPn2KHF-ON9LaM=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Tumi-Serialkillerinvestigation3_278073.jpg) *Police investigate the crime scene in Villa Liza, Ekurhuleni, where the body of a ninth woman was found on 17 September 2026. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* Boksburg resident Puleng Kgane was part of the large crowd drawn to the crime scene. “We have been hearing the news on the radio and seeing it on television, wondering if they’ll be reporting on us next. We don’t know what could happen here. So we’re very scared as young women, and we don’t know how many people are behind this,” said Kgane. Paulina Mogela said the recent discoveries had caused anguish and distress, adding that she feared for her grandchildren’s safety the most. “My grandchildren live in different parts of the country. It terrifies me to think this could happen to any of them,” said Mogela, also a Boksburg resident. ![Police,Villa Liza](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/vxbLsULoCIWZAO4T3XzVonSTrcw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Tumi-Serialkillerinvestigation5_912610.jpg) *Residents watch in disbelief as another woman’s body is discovered in Villa Liza, Ekurhuleni, on 17 September 2026. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ### Profiler weighs possible links Police have not confirmed whether the nine deaths are linked. However, similarities among the cases have raised concerns that one or more serial killers could be operating in Ekurhuleni. All nine victims were black women in their twenties or thirties. So far, the bodies of the women have been found in Kempton Park, Rhodesfield, Olifantsfontein, Clayville, Springs and Dawn Park. Five of the women’s bodies have been found near the R21 highway. All the bodies have been found partially or completely naked, and most had visible injuries, although the severity varied between cases. Professor Gérard Labuschagne, a clinical psychologist and former head of the SAPS Investigative Psychology Section, worked on more than 100 murder cases during his 15 years leading the police profiling unit. He also headed the 2006 Quarry Serial Murder task team, which led to the arrest of Richard Nyauza in connection with the murders of 16 women. ![East rand murders](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/4H-lpNUwqYwYbl1FreIsGTF_M9E=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/serialkiller_411421.jpg) *Graphic: Jocelyn Adamson* Although Labuschagne hasn’t been involved with the SAPS investigation and cannot give a definitive opinion, he argued that the case should be treated as a serial. “Due to the relatively close geographic proximity and time frame of the murders and the similar victimology, it makes sense to treat this as a serial until information to the contrary comes to light,” he told Daily Maverick. He added that “even if the cases prove to be the work of separate offenders, they will get far more attention as part of a dedicated task team focusing on them”. Labuschagne said that it was common for serial killers to leave their victims’ bodies out in an open field. “Most don’t have vehicles, so they cannot transport a body to a disposal location and have to lure \[their\] victim with a con story to the location where they will rape, kill, and dispose of the body. “This is where SA serial murderers differ from overseas serial murderers. The few who had vehicles tend to use larger geographical areas… So they can relocate if there is a lot of attention given in the media to a particular location.” ![Professor Gérard Labuschagne Investigative Forensic Psychologist. (Photo: https://oppsych.com/gerard-labuschagne/)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/vsmtsDmYiy7CulZZclBJvZwTEzk=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Tumi-Serialkillerinvestigation4_291566.jpg) *Professor Gérard Labuschagne, investigative forensic psychologist. (Photo: Operational Psychology Services)* The latest developments have heightened concerns among women about how they can protect themselves against a potential attacker. Labuschagne says the risk may not be as straightforward to predict as some may think. “Serial offenders don’t often stalk or target their victims beforehand… The victim would usually overlap with their ‘approach area’ where the suspect operates when out looking for a victim. “Serial murderers often have a preferred method of approaching, such as offering employment, but it is possible that a variation can occur if the circumstances present an opportunity when they are looking for a victim.” Labuschagne also revealed that the SAPS no longer has any profilers, with Lieutenant Colonel Elmarie Myburgh, the last profiler, retiring in 2026. However, he said the service still had experienced serial murder investigators with the training and expertise to investigate the cases. The SAPS had not confirmed whether they had profilers or had appointed one to the case at the time of publication. ### Social media amplifies fear Addressing media at the Dawn Park scene on Thursday, Gauteng Police Commissioner Major General Kekana urged the public against circulating unverified information, saying the recent spread of false information was adding to existing fears. He raised concern over the circulation on social media of old photographs, unrelated to the investigation. Among these images are graphic photographs at crime scenes, before victims have been covered or the scenes contained by authorities, further fuelling fear and confusion around the cases. The circulation of such images raises serious concerns about the dignity and privacy of the victims and their families. They can also be deeply distressing and traumatic for members of the public, including children, who encounter them, particularly when they are shared without consent or any clear public-interest purpose. The discovery of the bodies of several women across Ekurhuleni has sparked [widespread outrage](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-14-we-are-scared-as-women-say-kempton-park-residents-after-fifth-body-is-found/?dm_source=blocks-horizontal&dm_medium=card-link&dm_campaign=inform&dm_position=4), with social media campaigns, largely led by women, once again expressing frustration over femicide and gender-based violence. Communities and organisations have also organised peaceful demonstrations in response to the killings. **DM** [Media on Daily Maverick: "Woman safety"](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-17-fourth-ekurhuleni-murder-victim-identified-ninth-womans-body-found/)