South African police have intensified investigations in Kempton Park after the bodies of four women were discovered in the area over a period of about two months, prompting a public safety warning for women living in and around the east Gauteng community.
The latest body was discovered on Saturday evening, according to national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe. Detectives investigating the deaths have identified several similarities in the circumstances surrounding the cases.
Police said the women were found partially undressed and had visible bruising. The locations where the bodies were discovered are also situated within the same general area.
The similarities have raised concern among investigators, although police have stressed that there is currently no official confirmation that the deaths are connected or that a serial killer is responsible.
Instead, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has decided to increase investigative resources while warning members of the public to take additional precautions.
Women in Kempton Park, particularly those in the Rhodesfield area, have been advised not to walk or exercise alone, especially in isolated locations. Police have urged residents to remain alert, avoid secluded areas and, where possible, travel or exercise in groups.
Multidisciplinary task team begins investigation
The investigation is now being given additional national and provincial resources.
Acting national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane has instructed the Gauteng police commissioner to establish a dedicated multidisciplinary task team to investigate the four cases and establish whether there are links between them.
The team will include detectives from specialist units, among them the Murder and Robbery Unit and the Investigative Psychology Unit. Other relevant disciplines and resources will also be brought into the investigation as required.
Gauteng deputy provincial commissioner Major-General Mbuso Khumalo will lead the task team. His responsibility will be to ensure that investigators pursue all possible leads and work towards identifying those responsible for the deaths.
Police have not disclosed a possible motive or indicated whether a particular suspect has been identified. The investigation is expected to focus on establishing the circumstances surrounding each death before drawing conclusions about any possible connection.
The decision to issue a warning reflects the seriousness with which police are treating the similarities between the cases. However, experts have cautioned that public warnings need to be accompanied by visible policing and focused investigative work.
Experts call for visible policing and patience
Criminal law expert Cornelia van Graan said the public warning was a proactive step, but argued that more needed to be done to address violence against women and children.
She said serious resources should be directed towards preventing crimes against vulnerable people, including stronger police visibility and the deployment of specialist investigators where necessary.
University of Limpopo criminology expert Professor Witness Maluleke said police have previously achieved positive results in cases of this nature when officers concentrated resources and investigative capacity on specific incidents.
He nevertheless warned that complex investigations can take time. Families affected by the deaths and the wider public should therefore allow investigators to follow the necessary procedures, he said.
Maluleke also cautioned against assuming that the discovery of four bodies alone proves that the cases are connected or that investigators had previously failed to act.
For now, SAPS has stopped short of describing the Kempton Park deaths as the work of a serial killer. The immediate priority is to establish how each woman died, determine whether the cases are connected and identify whoever may be responsible.
Police are urging women in the affected areas to take practical precautions while the investigation continues.