Three in Boksburg court over Jabulile Ntimba murder as Mkhwanazi joins Ekurhuleni probe into nine deaths

One man and two women appeared in the Boksburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday in connection with the murder of Jabulile Ntimba, whose body was found in Dawn Park on 17 September and who became the ninth woman added to the Ekurhuleni investigation.

Members of the Gauteng Murder and Robbery Unit arrested the three over the weekend. The South African Police Service has not linked them to the other eight deaths under investigation.

As The South African reported on 21 September, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, has been brought into the wider investigation. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said Mkhwanazi and Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, head of Crime Intelligence, would assist a multidisciplinary team now headed by Lieutenant-General Hilda Senthumule.

Cachalia said the team had been reinforced after he indicated earlier in the week that a deputy provincial commissioner would lead it.

“That team has subsequently been strengthened and is now headed by Lt-Gen Senthumule,” he said. “She is being assisted by General Dumisani Khumalo, the head of Crime Intelligence, as well as General Mkhwanazi.”

The team draws on detectives, forensic specialists and Crime Intelligence. Police have also increased visibility in the affected communities across Ekurhuleni.

Eight of the nine women identified

Investigators have identified eight of the nine women. Seven families have been informed.

Police know the identity of the eighth victim but have withheld her name until they trace and notify her relatives. One woman remains unidentified.

The seven women publicly named are Busisiwe Mahlangu, Itumeleng Kekana, Nomfesane Mjobo, Gracious Nkomo, Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, Dineo Motapane and Jabulile Ntimba.

Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane said detectives were pursuing all available leads across the nine cases.

“We remain committed to ensuring that these investigations are pursued with the urgency and determination they require,” Dimpane said.

No conclusion on a single killer

Despite public speculation, investigators have not concluded that one person killed all nine women. Cachalia said police had identified differences in method and possible motive in some cases.

“There are some indications of different modus operandi and different motives,” he said.

Police have not ruled out links between individual cases, but say the evidence has to be followed before any conclusion is reached.

The arrests in Ntimba’s case are the first concrete breakthrough in one of the nine investigations. The broader team continues to work on whether any of the deaths are connected.

Source: The South African, Ekurhuleni murders: Mkhwanazi joins high-level investigation