Ekurhuleni murders — Lesufi and SAPS pledge to keep women safe, outlining security measures

Gauteng has made progress in implementing measures to tackle the recent spate of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), says Premier Panyaza Lesufi.

Since July, at least 12 women have been murdered in Ekurhuleni and other parts of the province – including runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo in September 2026 – sparking a public outcry about justice and protection for women.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the province has since made progress in implementing measures to tackle GBVF.

Speaking to the media at his office in Gauteng on Sunday, 1 November, Lesufi said the province had acted quickly in response to the murders, holding weekly progress meetings following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directive to resolve cases against women, as well as forensic backlogs, alcohol-fuelled violence and municipal audits.

“Plans included deploying 1,022 GBV response teams across 122 high-risk areas, adding 56 social workers, strengthening seven specialised sexual offences courts and 144 victim-friendly facilities and fully involving the province’s 19 medical legal clinics to safeguard forensic evidence. Coordinated weekly by-law enforcement operations began in all municipalities from 1 October,” Lesufi said.

Speaking on the measures implemented to address GBVF, Lesufi said there were “18 shelters providing 363 beds, seven Thuthuzela Care Centres and expanded psychosocial support services to assist survivors of GBVF.” All centres are located near hospitals, including Old Natalspruit Hospital, Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Mamelodi Hospital, and Vosloorus Magistrates’ Court.

“Protecting our women and children is an absolute priority that demands immediate action, as delayed justice is no justice at all,” Lesufi said.

Police update on Ekurhuleni murders

Daily Maverick has reported extensively on the femicide spree – including the murder of Moselakgomo whose body was discovered in the Kempton Park area on 12 September – prompting nationwide outrage and concerns that a serial killer may be operating in the East Rand. Moselakgomo was reported missing by her eight-year-old daughter after she failed to return from an afternoon run.

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Suspects in court, but search for Elizabeth ‘Tsontso’ Moselakgomo’s killer continues

October 12, 2026

During Sunday’s briefing, Gauteng’s acting police commissioner, Major-General Fred Kekana, said some of the murder cases had been resolved. “Let me start with the 11 incidences that affected women in Kempton Park or Ekurhuleni, in particular. Out of those cases, in five cases, we managed to resolve the suspect’s assailant in custody. When it comes to two cases of Olifantsfontein, they are still under investigation, [as well as] the one in Kwa-Thema, one in Moroka (Dam), and one in Springs,” said Kekana.

“The cases relating to the latest one of the famous runner, the late Elizabeth Moselakgomo, we managed to arrest three, but that’s not all. The investigation on that specific one is still ongoing to ensure that everybody who is involved in that specific case is brought to justice,” Kekana said.

Read more: Two in court for Ekurhuleni murder, but police yet to connect wave of killings

Keeping communities safe during elections

Responding to media questions on ensuring safety for women ahead of the local elections on 4 November, both Lesufi and Kekana said they are confident residents will be protected at the different vote stations in Gauteng municipalities.

“All the voting stations, the high-risk ones, are given that special level type of planning and resources and guarding and ensuring that nothing goes wrong, including all other voting stations. Our communities must rest assured. We are ready as law enforcement. We will ensure that at all voting stations, including this high-risk station, nothing goes wrong,” said Kekana.

Meanwhile, Lesufi said they were improving security in high-risk areas. “We’re cutting grass, we’re putting CCTV cameras, we’re improving lighting. So we’ll continue with this work, and we really believe what we’ve done thus far has indeed yielded the necessary results we want to sustain,” Lesufi said

However, forensic backlogs, outstanding case recovery information and the need to accelerate municipal safety interventions were still a challenge, he said. DM