SAPS urges women to exercise in groups as bodies found in cases it is investigating

eNCA reports that the South African Police Service has urged women and young girls to take extra precautions when exercising, walking or running alone, and says the number of bodies discovered in the area is a serious concern to the service. The appeal was carried in a broadcast published by the channel on 13 September 2026.

The police guidance is specific. Where it is possible, women should walk and exercise in groups. Isolated areas should be avoided, and exercise should happen in places that are populated and well lit. A cell phone should be carried, and awareness of surroundings should be maintained throughout.

The service is explicit that this is not an instruction about where women may go. It said the guidance is about reasonable precautions while its investigations continue, and not about restricting the freedom of movement of women to move, exercise or live their lives.

What the police say they are doing

The service says it is on the ground and investigating, that resources have been mobilised, and that it is following the evidence. It says it will pursue those responsible.

Gender-based violence remains a priority crime for the SAPS, and the service said it will continue to pursue perpetrators of violence against women and children with the agency and persistence these crimes demand.

What the guidance means in practice

The precautions the police describe are the kind of steps that cost nothing and can be taken today. Running with a partner or in a group. Choosing a lit route over a quiet one. Keeping a phone charged and to hand.

The service has framed the guidance as temporary and tied to the investigations now under way, rather than as a permanent limit on how women use public space.

The police have not said how many bodies were discovered, where exactly they were found, or how the cases are connected. Those details were not stated in the broadcast, and this report does not add them.

Where the investigations stand

The service says it is following the evidence and has mobilised resources, and that it will pursue those responsible. It has asked women and girls to take the precautions described while that work continues.

Anyone with information that can assist the investigations should take it to the SAPS. The service has not announced an arrest in connection with the discoveries.