Sixth woman found in Ekurhuleni as ex-SAPS profiler calls for serial killer investigation

eNCA reports that the body of a sixth woman has been found in a public space in Ekurhuleni, and that a former South African Police Service criminal profiler wants the deaths investigated as a potential serial killer case. The eNCA report names Elmarie Myburgh, a former lieutenant colonel, as the profiler making that call.

The latest discovery was made on Tuesday outside a clinic in KwaThema, Springs. It follows five earlier discoveries of women’s bodies in public spaces in the same metro.

The cases, and where they were found

Three women’s bodies were found in the Rhodesfield area of Kempton Park over the past two months. The first of those victims, a 37 year old woman, was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend, who has since been arrested.

Fears grew in the area after the body of social runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo was found in Rhodesfield. She was the fourth woman found there under similar circumstances.

A further body was later discovered in Olifantsfontein, more than 20 kilometres away. The KwaThema discovery this week has added to public concern in the East Rand.

The police position, and the profiler’s argument

Acting Gauteng Police Commissioner Fred Kekana says it is too early to conclude that a serial killer is on the loose.

Myburgh agrees that police cannot make that determination yet. She argues that investigators would still benefit from working the cases as though they could be linked, because the approach costs nothing if the link is later ruled out and saves time if it is not.

“If you later find that they are not linked, the investigation still continues and it helps,” she said.

She warns that investigating each case on its own could mean valuable time is lost if evidence later shows the murders are connected.

Myburgh is best known for her work as a criminal profiler during the Nomia Ndlovu murder for insurance case.

What it means for women in Ekurhuleni

Six women found in public spaces in one metro, five of them in the space of two months, is a fact that changes how women in Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein, KwaThema and the surrounding townships move through their own neighbourhoods. It changes the route home after a late shift, the decision to walk to a clinic, and the calculation about who to tell when a partner turns violent.

The first Rhodesfield case produced an arrest, which is the outcome the criminal justice system is built to deliver. The remaining deaths are the subject of an active investigation, and the question the public is entitled to ask is whether those investigations are being run as a set or one at a time.

The South African Police Service has not said the cases are linked. That absence is itself information. It means the coordinated approach Myburgh is calling for has not been adopted, and it means the families of the five women found before Tuesday are still waiting for an answer about what happened to them.

The next step

The investigation into the KwaThema discovery and the earlier deaths continues under Gauteng police. The Enquirer has asked Gauteng SAPS for the circumstances of each death, whether any of the cases have been formally linked, and what task team structure is in place.