- A 10th woman’s body was discovered on Sunday, escalating the Kempton Park murder investigation.
- Three people of interest have been arrested, including a suspect linked to the ninth body found in Dawn Park, where police are investigating a suspected love triangle.
- SAPS says the investigation will be guided by evidence, not public pressure, to secure convictions.
Deputy National Commissioner of Police Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili says the investigation into the murders of women in and around Kempton Park is being driven by evidence rather than public pressure, despite growing demands for immediate prosecutions.
Addressing the media, Mosikili confirmed that a 10th woman’s body was discovered on Sunday 20 September 2026 wrapped in a duvet at Moroka Dam in Soweto. Police have opened an inquest while investigating possible links to nine earlier killings in Ekurhuleni.
Mosikili said detectives, forensic specialists, crime intelligence officers and other law enforcement partners were working to establish exactly what happened, identify everyone responsible and determine whether the murders were connected.
Dawn Park breakthrough forms part of wider probe
Mosikili revealed that the investigation had made progress following the discovery of the ninth woman’s body in Dawn Park. She confirmed that police had arrested a suspect in that case and were investigating it as a suspected love triangle, while continuing to examine its relationship to the broader investigation into the murdered women.
In total, three people of interest have been arrested in connection with the Kempton Park investigation, but Mosikili stressed that detectives were still obtaining statements, analysing forensic evidence and following intelligence before the matter is placed before prosecutors.
She said investigators were “still hard at work to conduct further investigation and take all necessary statements that are required” because SAPS was determined to build a comprehensive case.
According to Mosikili, police want to collect as much evidence as possible “so that when we go to court, we do not come back to further investigate”.
SAPS not yet declaring a serial killer
Mosikili cautioned against speculation that a serial killer is behind the murders, saying police cannot reach that conclusion until the evidence supports it.
She said investigators are examining every case individually while also exploring possible links between the killings, and any determination will be based on forensic, intelligence and investigative evidence rather than public speculation.
Prosecutorial-led investigation
Mosikili said the investigation is being conducted in consultation with prosecutors and that the docket will only be submitted to the senior public prosecutor once all evidence has been gathered.
She emphasised that SAPS would not compromise the integrity of the investigation by rushing charges simply because videos and other material were circulating on social media.
Mosikili said police had seen the videos, but investigators must still “take the correct procedures, follow the correct processes, gather enough evidence and present the matter to court”.
A message to grieving families
Turning to the families of the murdered women, Mosikili acknowledged that arrests alone could never repair their loss. She said, “We understand that arrest alone cannot bring your loved ones back. They cannot come anywhere close to your loss.”
Mosikili pledged that SAPS would continue working intensely to establish what happened, identify those responsible and place evidence before the courts that would result in convictions. She added, “We will not compromise the integrity of the investigation. We owe it to the families and the women in South Africa.”
GBV crackdown continues nationwide
Mosikili also announced that SAPS had arrested 352 suspects in gender-based violence-related cases across South Africa during the past seven days, describing the arrests as part of an intensified national response to violence against women.
She said the message to perpetrators was, “It is just a matter of time until it gets to you.” Mosikili concluded by saying that defeating gender-based violence and femicide requires the combined efforts of police, prosecutors, courts, communities, families and civil society.
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