Police are investigating the killings in a country where the rate of femicide is one of the highest in the world.
Published on September 28, 2026
South African police have discovered the body of another woman east of the country’s commercial capital, Johannesburg, bringing to 11 the total number of female bodies found near the city since mid-July.
Police said on Sunday that the latest victim was found in an open field in the Ekurhuleni municipality around midday local time (1000 GMT).
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“A security company vehicle patrolling the area noticed the body and alerted the police,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili.
Details about the woman’s identity, age and cause of death were not immediately available.
A day earlier, Saturday, the body of a half-naked woman was found near a cemetery in the same town.
The latest findings add to growing concern about violence against women in a country long plagued by violent crime. While police work to establish whether the murders are connected, the community is concerned that the killings were committed by the same killer(s).
Provincial police chief Tommy Mthombeni said the victim found Saturday appeared to have been stoned to death, but an autopsy would be conducted to determine the cause of death.
Police said a man linked to the killing had been arrested nearly 400 km (250 miles) away. His arrest brings to four the number of people in police custody in connection with this series of murders.
President Cyril Ramaphosa admitted finding the body of the 10th victim while campaigning for the upcoming local elections, eNCA television channel reported.
“I have sadly heard of the tenth body of a woman found in Thembisa,” Ramaphosa said on Saturday. “It continues to make us very sad and, in many ways, it is a shame for South African men that we continue to kill the women of our beautiful country.”
South Africa has one of the highest rates of femicide in the world, with an average of 15 women killed per day.
Two women have been charged with the murder of the woman whose body was the ninth discovered on September 17. Police said the murder may have stemmed from a relationship-related matter.
Mthombeni, the provincial police chief, told state broadcaster SABC that investigators believed the ninth killing was an isolated case. However, he added that it was possible that some of the other killings were linked.
He added that some of the killings had similarities, but cautioned that there was no conclusive evidence to suggest the same person or group was responsible.
Police discovered three bodies in July and August within 6km of each other in Ekurhuleni. Earlier this month, six bodies were found in 10 days, also in Ekurhuleni.
Before Saturday’s discovery, all of the deceased women were aged in their 20s or 30s. Several of them were found completely or partially naked.
The first body, discovered in mid-July, was found naked and held by cable ties. The victim’s boyfriend was later arrested, but no charges were filed.
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