South Africa police identify tenth murder victim, arrest one suspect

Gauteng police don arrest one suspect in connection wit di murder of one woman wey dem discover her body for Mooifontein Cemetery for Vusimusi Section, Tembisa, on Saturday, 26 September 2026.

Dem identify di deceased as Ms Ntombifuthu Nxumalo.

Police for statement on Sunday, say dem find her naked wit serious head injuries, like di previous nine bodies dem discover for di area.

Dem also say dem see stones around di body, wey raise di possibility say maybe di pesin wey kpai her stone her to death.

"We no notice any visible stab wounds for di scene," police add.

Dis informate dey come afta police announce say dem don discover anoda deadi body for Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, wey bring di number of women dem find dead in recent months to 10.

Dem find di body on Saturday morning and na one friend wey dem dey togeda for one di previous evening, identify her.

Dem find dis 10th body for Tembisa south. Tembisa, na one large township wey dey di north of Kempton Park on di East Rand of Gauteng province. Di same area dem discover di previous bodies.

Di local police commissioner say dem no fit rule out di possibility say serial killer dey on di loose, as e note di similarities across di 10 deaths for Ekurhuleni, and anoda one for Soweto.

"At dis stage, we fit only confam di discovery of di body. Crime scene management and all di necessary role players currently dey di scene," police add for di post.

Di deaths don spark national outcry about di scale of violence against women for di kontri, wey get one of di highest rates of gender-based violence for di world.

Police say preliminary investigations reveal say di deceased bin dey drink for one local joint wit anoda woman. She later comot di place wit anoda unidentified man.

Information from residents wey dey live near di cemetery allege say dem hear one woman dey scream and beg for her life at approximately 23:00.

Investigators bin trace di suspect go one address for Tembisa bifor dem establish say e don travel go Limpopo.

Dem find di suspect as e dey sleep for im room and arrest am.

Most of di women wey dem find bin dey partially clothed and dem get injuries, but police make am clear say dem no fit establish weda na serial killer dey responsible for all di deaths.

Di discovery don spark fear for di area, particularly among women wey say dem no feel safe any longer.

"We dey fear to come out of our houses. We dey fear to go to di shops. We no dey free for di kontri wia we suppose dey safe as women," local resident Bongeka Sebela tell BBC.

Deputy police chief Lt Gen Tebello Mosikili as e dey follow tori pipo tok say "one team of analysts dey work hard to see if connection dey to all these cases" but di killing of Ntimba "be like say na murder wey come from relationship... dis include... a possible love triangle".

Police charge two wit murder in connection to di ninth victim

Meanwhile, police for South Africa bin arrest three suspects in connection wit one of di murder cases dem dey investigate for di Eastern part of Johannesburg.

Di police for statement on Monday, 21 September announce say dem arrest one man and two women dem suspect say get hand for di death of di ninth woman wey dem find her bodi for Dawn Park.

Dem charge di two women wit premeditated murder and say dem defeat di end of justice.

Dem release di man wey dem arrest wit dem witout charge.

Victims of di killings for Ekurhuleni in order of dia discoveries

South Africa get one of di highest rates of gender-based violence for di world. E also get a very high murder rate and though officials statistics no identify di gender of di victims, one recent estimate from di Human Rights Commission show say, on average, dem murder six women evri day between April and June dis year.

While South African police statistics no dey differentiate victims by gender, di South African Human Rights Commission last week say dem don kill 569 women and 1,052 odas don survive attempted murder between April and June dis year.

Di recent grim discoveries don spark national outcry on top di scale of di problem and e don increase di feeling of insecurity for many women.

President Cyril Ramaphosa don strongly condemn di abuse, rape and killing of women for di kontri.

E say women get right to waka for di streets of dia kontri at any time witout fear.

"Di abuse, rape and killing of women no be our heritage. E no get any culture worthy of di name wey go dey diminish di dignity of women," Ramaphosa tok.

Di South African President tok say na national shame say women for di kontri dey go tru so much pain and suffering.

E say violence against women no go be di inheritance wey dem go leave for di next generation.