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South African police said Monday they had arrested three people over the killing of one of nine women found dead in a neighborhood east of Johannesburg in a series of murders that have alarmed the nation.
The discovery of the nine bodies in Kempton Park over two months has fueled fear and anger, as authorities investigate whether a serial killer or killers were responsible.
A man and two women were arrested over the weekend over the killing of Jabulile Ntimba, whose body was found on Sept. 17 and was the ninth victim, police said.
As in most of the cases, her body was found on the side of the road, partly clothed.
“There does appear to be an indication that her murder may have stemmed from a relationship-related matter, including what has been described as a possible love triangle,” deputy police chief Tebello Mosikili said.
Gender-based violence is endemic in South Africa, despite years of government pledges to tackle the problem and even declaring it a national disaster.
The South African Police Service has issued a public warning for women to be cautious when doing activities like jogging in the area.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday echoed the police pledge that those responsible for the killings would be held accountable.
“We will be pulling out all stops to find these perpetrators,” he told journalists, vowing additional measures to tackle violence against women.
“We are going to be deploying more money, more resources, more technology, to ensure that we deal with the fear that women are now subjected to,” he said.
The latest arrests bring to four the number of people held by police in connection with the Kempton Park killings.
“While the investigation must establish whether these cases are linked, the possibility that a perpetrator or perpetrators may be targeting women demands our urgent and determined attention,” acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said in a statement. “A multidisciplinary investigation has been established to examine possible links between the cases, identify those responsible and bring them to justice.”
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A man arrested over the murder of a woman whose body was found in July remains in custody and is due back in court on Oct. 28, police said.
“We are not going to rush these investigations simply to make arrests. We owe it to the victims, we owe it to their families, and we owe it to justice to get this right,” Mosikili said.
Separately, police said another woman was found dead on Sunday in Soweto, south of Johannesburg, her body wrapped in a duvet and dumped near a dam.
Police also said two alleged serial rapists were due in court in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. A 46-year-old man has been linked by DNA to 16 rape cases in the province’s largest city, Durban, while a 36-year-old man has been linked to at least 14 cases across two provinces.
Violence continues to plague South Africa
South Africa suffers from a murder rate of more than 60 a day on average, one of the highest globally.
The country recorded 5,427 murders between April and July — an average of 45 a day — according to the latest crime statistics.
Femicide rates in South Africa are among the highest in the world, according to the U.N.’s agency for gender equality. Last year, the government declared gender-based violence and femicide a national disaster, according to the U.N.
A 2024 study in South Africa revealed that three women were killed every day by an intimate partner from 2020 to 2021. A study in 2022 found that more than 35% of South African adult women had experienced physical or sexual violence at some point.
Amnesty International South Africa previously said the recent discovery of the bodies was “just another horrific reminder that women in South Africa are not safe.”
The Commission for Gender Equality has called for urgent preventive action, including a safety audit of the affected areas involving police, municipal officials, transport authorities and community safety structures.
It said the audit should assess lighting, surveillance, pedestrian and public transport routes, neglected spaces, police visibility and access to emergency assistance.
“Women should not have to be killed before an area receives heightened attention,” commission spokesperson Javu Baloyi said.
