Police task team probes five Kempton Park deaths as family identifies runner Elizabeth Moselakgomo

Elizabeth Moselakgomo went for her usual run on September 9 and did not come home. Her family identified her body at a state mortuary this week, after a search that had been running for days across Kempton Park.

As IOL reported on September 15, the 38-year-old runner, known to those close to her as Tsontso, was confirmed dead after a body was found in the area. Her family had circulated missing-person flyers and searched tirelessly, a family spokesperson, Dawn Gounden, said, describing the days since her disappearance as an emotional rollercoaster for relatives who had hoped she would be found alive.

She worked as the centre manager at Festival Mall. Her family described her as family-oriented and church-going, a choir member of the Zion Christian Church. Her eight-year-old daughter was the first to raise the alarm that her mother had not returned, and the child is receiving psychosocial support.

Her uncle, Lieutenant Colonel Andries Matlaila, said the family is waiting for the South African Police Service to complete the post-mortem and related processes before her body can be released.

Five deaths, two months, one investigation

Moselakgomo’s identification lands inside a wider police investigation. National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said four women whose bodies were found in the Kempton Park and Rhodesfield area over the past two months were discovered in circumstances that raised concern, with victims found partially undressed and with visible bruising. A fifth woman was found with cable ties.

SAPS has not confirmed that the deaths are linked to a serial killer. Mathe said the similarities between some of the cases are sufficiently concerning for police to issue a public warning and intensify the investigation.

That investigation is now being run at a senior level. Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane has directed a multidisciplinary team to establish whether links exist between the cases. The team includes detectives from specialised units, among them the Murder and Robbery Unit and the Investigative Psychology Unit, and is led by Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Major General Mbuso Khumalo.

“We will not rest until we have established the truth,” Dimpane said. “Where there is evidence linking individuals to these crimes, we will pursue them relentlessly and ensure that they face the full might of the law.”

Four of the women were found partially undressed and with visible bruising. A fifth was found with cable ties.

What women in Rhodesfield have been told

Police have warned women in and around Kempton Park, particularly Rhodesfield, not to walk or run alone, especially in isolated areas. They have urged women to stay vigilant and, where possible, to exercise or travel in groups.

That warning has drawn criticism from people who argue women should not carry the burden of preventing violence against themselves. Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga called for stronger measures to protect women exercising in public spaces.

“Women should not have to choose between their safety and their health,” Chikunga said. “No woman should fear for her life simply because she has chosen to run, walk or exercise in a public space.”

She called for increased police visibility, better lighting and infrastructure, community-based safety measures, rapid response mechanisms and closer cooperation between law enforcement, municipalities and communities.

SAPS has appealed to residents, motorists, security personnel and other community members who may have seen suspicious activity in Rhodesfield and surrounding areas to give information to investigators.

What happens next

The post-mortem and identification processes that will allow Moselakgomo’s body to be released to her family are under way. The multidisciplinary team led by Khumalo continues its work on whether the five deaths are connected, and SAPS has asked anyone with information about suspicious activity in Rhodesfield to come forward.

Source: IOL, Missing Kempton Park runner Elizabeth Moselakgomo identified after body found.