Saps offers R400 000 reward as Kempton Park murders task team works the R21 cases

Gracious Nkomo, 28, was identified by her family at the Germiston Mortuary on Thursday, 17 September, days after her body was found near the R21 in Kempton Park. Her body was discovered in the area on 10 September and she was found partially clothed.

Her identification is the fourth to be confirmed publicly in a set of killings that has put Kempton Park under intensified policing, and it is the reason the South African Police Service has now put money behind the search for whoever is responsible.

What the police have said

Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the family made the identification at the Germiston Mortuary and that the murder of Nkomo remains under investigation, along with the other cases involving women whose bodies were found in the area. The police have offered a R400 000 reward for information that leads to an arrest, and Kempton Park is being placed under lockdown through Operation Shanela.

Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane said a multidisciplinary team of investigators is working around the clock to establish the circumstances of the murders and to identify those responsible. Dimpane extended condolences to Nkomo’s family and said investigators would pursue every available lead so that those responsible are brought to justice.

The premier’s response

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi spoke to the media in Dawn Park, Ekurhuleni, at the scene where Nkomo’s body was found. He said the state would not retreat and described those behind the killings as having declared war on the state.

“Someone has declared war against us, and we will not retreat. The state has the capacity to respond, and we will ensure that good governance, accountability, and justice prevail,” Lesufi said.

He rejected criticism that the state had been slow to act, saying the operations are evidence driven, and he called on South Africans to remain calm but resolute.

What this means for the families

The reward is the state’s most concrete move yet in a case where the families of the dead have had to wait for mortuary identifications before they could even say a name in public. For a family in Ekurhuleni, that wait is the difference between a missing person and a funeral. Nkomo’s relatives now know where she is. What they do not yet know is who did this, and the police have not said the cases are linked.

The R400 000 is not the only money on the table. The Democratic Alliance has put up a separate R500 000 for information that leads to a successful criminal prosecution of whoever is responsible.

Anyone with information can contact the police, and the reward applies to information that leads to an arrest.

What happens next

The investigation continues under the multidisciplinary team, and Kempton Park remains under the intensified operations that the police say are already in place. The reward stands until an arrest is made.

Source: The Citizen, Ekurhuleni killings: Gracious Nkomo identified as fourth victim in murder spree