Gauteng police have arrested three people in connection with the murder of the ninth woman whose body was discovered in Ekurhuleni, marking a significant development in an investigation that has drawn national attention.
The suspects — one man and two women — were arrested over the weekend by members of the Gauteng Murder and Robbery Unit. According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), they are specifically linked to the latest murder case and are expected to appear before the Boksburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 21 September.
The latest victim, Jabulile Ntimba, was found dead in Dawn Park, Boksburg, on 17 September. Her discovery brought the number of women whose deaths are being investigated across parts of Ekurhuleni to nine in roughly two months.
The arrests come as police continue to investigate whether the cases are connected or represent separate crimes.
Police give priority to all nine cases
Acting SAPS National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane said all nine investigations were receiving priority attention.
She said investigators were following every available lead and were working to establish the circumstances surrounding each death and identify those responsible.
The police have not said that the three suspects arrested over Ntimba’s murder are connected to any of the other eight cases.
A multidisciplinary team has been deployed to investigate the deaths, while police have also increased their presence in the affected areas. The investigation follows a series of discoveries involving women in Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein, KwaThema and Dawn Park.
The first cases were recorded in July, with further bodies discovered during August and September. By 17 September, the discovery in Dawn Park had taken the official total to nine.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has instructed law-enforcement agencies to use all available resources to identify those responsible, including surveillance technology and other investigative capabilities.
Police have also urged members of the public with information to come forward.
Tenth woman found dead in Soweto
The investigation has been further complicated by the discovery of another woman’s body in Soweto.
Gauteng police opened an inquest after the body of an unidentified woman, believed to be in her twenties, was found wrapped in a duvet and dumped in a dam in Moroka on Sunday evening.
Police said the body was discovered at about 5pm and that the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death were not yet known. At this stage, there is no confirmation that the Soweto case is connected to the nine deaths under investigation in Ekurhuleni.
The development comes as Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said investigators had not conclusively established that a serial killer was responsible for the Ekurhuleni deaths.
Cachalia said investigators had identified differences in the apparent modus operandi and possible motives in some of the cases. However, he stressed that no possibility had been excluded while the investigation remained active.
The distinction is important because the nine deaths have occurred across several locations and over a period of weeks. While the pattern has prompted concerns about a possible common perpetrator, investigators must still establish the factual links between individual cases.
Police are therefore continuing to examine each murder while looking for evidence that could establish whether there is a broader connection.
The three suspects arrested in the Dawn Park investigation are expected to face court proceedings on Monday, where further details are likely to emerge.
Police have appealed to anyone with information about the cases to contact their nearest police station, call Crime Stop on 08600 10111, or submit an anonymous tip through the MySAPS application.