Police at the scene in open veld near Rhokana Road in Springs, where a woman’s body was found on Sunday. Image credit Supplied
Police are investigating after a Springs woman body found in open veld on Sunday became the eleventh woman discovered dead in Ekurhuleni since July. The discovery near Rhokana Road came just one day after police found another woman’s body in Tembisa.
According to police, a security company vehicle patrolling the area spotted the body and alerted officers. Reports say the woman was half naked when police found her.
Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said police mobilised all the necessary role players to the scene. These include the task team investigating the Ekurhuleni murders, crime scene experts, detectives and crime intelligence. In addition, members of the police Investigative Psychology Services joined the team at the scene.
So far, police have not identified the woman or confirmed how she died.
Springs woman body found a day after Tembisa discovery
The latest case adds to a grim toll that has shaken communities across the metro. On Saturday morning, police found a woman’s body in Vusimusi Section, Tembisa South. That discovery brought the count to ten.
However, police have not confirmed whether either of the two latest cases is linked to the earlier killings. Investigators continue to treat each case separately while they search for possible connections.
The first victim, a 37 year old woman, turned up naked and bound with cable ties on 15 July. Since then, police have found bodies across Kempton Park, Boksburg, Tembisa and now Springs. Most of the victims were in their 20s and 30s, and some showed signs of sexual assault.
Last week, detectives made their first breakthrough when they arrested one man and two women in connection with the murder of the ninth victim in Dawn Park, Boksburg. Still, those arrests relate to only one of the cases.
Meanwhile, fear continues to grow among women in Ekurhuleni. Residents and women’s rights groups have called on police to move faster, and many women say they no longer feel safe walking alone.
For now, the Springs woman body found on Sunday has pushed the toll to eleven, as the task team works to establish what happened to her.
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