A fifth woman’s body has been found under a bridge in Olifantsfontein, near Kempton Park, as police face growing pressure over a possible serial killer linked to four earlier deaths since July.
According to police, the body of an as-yet-unidentified woman was discovered under a bridge in Olifantsfontein on Monday, several kilometres from where four other women were found dead in and around Kempton Park since July.
The four earlier victims were found on 15 July, 24 August, 10 September and 12 September. They range from a 37-year-old found bound with cable ties near the R21 to a 38-year-old discovered partially clothed behind a hotel in Rhodesfield.
No cause of death has been officially confirmed for any of the five women, and police have not disclosed further details about the condition in which Monday’s body was found, pending formal post-mortem examination and identification.
Police push back on serial killer theory
Major General Fred Kekana, acting Gauteng police commissioner, has cautioned against drawing early conclusions about the four earlier cases, even as investigators from the Investigative Psychology Unit continue working the scenes alongside detectives from the murder and robbery unit.
“While there are similarities in some of the circumstances surrounding the cases, it would be premature at this stage to conclude that the four cases are linked or that they involve one perpetrator.”
— Major General Fred Kekana, acting Gauteng police commissioner
Criminologist Professor Nirmala Gopal has taken a different view, telling reporters the pattern across the four cases points toward a single perpetrator rather than a criminal syndicate, based on marks found on each victim’s body.
“From a profiling perspective, the similarities, the location and the fact that they are all women, marks on their bodies and they were half naked demonstrate the hallmarks of a single perpetrator.”
— Professor Nirmala Gopal, criminologist
Kempton Park residents demand answers
Angered residents gathered outside the Kempton Park police station over the weekend, organised by the Girl2Woman Foundation alongside other community and faith-based groups, demanding answers over how the cases have been communicated to the public.
“The reason for this picket today is that we decided to come together as a community, NGOs and faith-based organisations to question the police why we were never notified as soon as the second body was found.”
— Lumka Maqubela, Girl2Woman Foundation
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe has denied any delay in alerting residents, saying the community was notified after the first body was discovered in July.
Many women in the area say they have since stopped exercising outdoors alone.
Formal identification of Monday’s victim, along with any findings linking her death to the earlier cases, is expected once investigators complete forensic work at the scene. SAPS says the task team’s inquiry remains active and ongoing.
