Ninth Woman's Body Found; Police Offer R400,000 Reward

A ninth woman's body was found near Johannesburg as South African police offered a R400,000 reward and imposed a lockdown in Kempton Park.

South African police said Thursday that a ninth woman's body has been discovered in the Ekurhuleni municipality east of Johannesburg, and that it could be linked to a series of killings under investigation. All nine bodies have been found across Ekurhuleni over roughly the past two months, in communities including Kempton Park, Pomona, Clayville, Olifantsfontein, Rhodesfield, KwaThema and Dawn Park. Police said the latest discovery "will be added to the investigations into the deaths of women in Ekurhuleni."

Provincial police commissioner Fred Kekana said a passerby found the woman near a construction site; she appeared to be about 30, with an apparent stab wound to her side and an apparently cut throat, though forensics had not determined the official cause of death. According to Africanews, police on Tuesday announced a R400,000 reward — about $24,400 — for information leading to arrests, with acting National Police Commissioner Puleng Dimpane saying the money would "strengthen our investigations." Africanews also reports police have warned women to avoid walking or exercising alone, and AFP reported a lockdown in Kempton Park.

Police previously said similarities in the first eight killings were "sufficiently concerning for the police to issue a public warning," and the mounting toll has sent shockwaves across South Africa while highlighting the country's high rates of femicide and violent crime. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said a high-level multidisciplinary team has been set up under a deputy provincial commissioner and vowed "we will leave no stone unturned." Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said police were making progress in two or three cases, declaring: "They've declared war against the state. We'll respond."

Police have not established whether the ninth death is linked to the earlier cases, and Kekana appealed for public information while urging people not to circulate images of the bodies or unverified social media reports that could spread fear or encourage copycat crimes. Authorities say investigators need time to gather sufficient evidence. Missing In Southern Africa urged families to report disappearances immediately, stressing there is "no waiting period" to report a missing person to the South African Police Service.