Police say 11 women have been found dead in South African municipality

South African police say 11 women have been found dead in the Ekurhuleni municipality east of Johannesburg over a period of 10 weeks. Police said on Sunday that the latest body was discovered around midday in an open area. A security company vehicle had noticed the body while patrolling and alerted the police, spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said.

The woman’s identity, age and cause of death were not immediately known. Her discovery followed the finding on Saturday of a semi-naked woman’s body near a cemetery in the same municipality. Provincial police chief Tommy Mthombeni said the Saturday victim appeared to have been stoned to death.

A post-mortem examination was to establish the cause of death. Police said a man linked to that killing was arrested almost 400 kilometres away after leaving the area. The arrest brought the number of people in custody over the killings to four.

Authorities have not linked any of the cases. Police said the nine other victims were mostly in their 20s and 30s, with some found stripped of their clothes and showing signs of sexual assault. The deaths have heightened concern in a country with one of the world’s highest murder rates per capita.

Gender-based violence remains a serious problem despite government efforts and its declaration as a national disaster. The national Gender-Based Violence Command Centre received 6,782 distress calls between September 1 and 16, an average of 424 calls a day and a 21 per cent increase from the same period in August.