South African police have found the body of another woman near an airport east of Johannesburg, bringing to nine the number of women whose bodies have been discovered in the Ekurhuleni municipality over the past two months, according to DW.
The latest victim was found near a construction site by a passerby who alerted police, provincial police commissioner Fred Kekana said. The woman, who has not been identified, appeared to be about 30 years old and had a stab wound to her side. Her throat also appeared to have been cut, although the official cause of death has not yet been established.
Police are examining whether the latest killing is connected to the deaths of the other eight women. Deputy police chief Tebello Mosikili said investigators were also considering whether a so-called copycat killer could be active. Earlier similarities among the first eight cases had been considered serious enough for police to issue a public warning.
A lockdown has been imposed in Kempton Park, in Ekurhuleni, and police have established roadblocks after three bodies were found in recent days. “We cannot continue picking up bodies,” Mosikili told journalists at the scene, according to DW. Police said the latest discovery would be incorporated into the wider investigation.
Authorities have offered a reward of 400,000 rand, reported by DW as about $25,000 or €21,400, for information leading to an arrest. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said someone had “declared war” on the province, while President Cyril Ramaphosa said no stone would be left unturned in solving the crimes. DW also reported that the killings have intensified concerns in a country facing high murder rates and widespread gender-based violence.