South African police on Thursday, recovered the body of a ninth woman to the east of Johannesburg, as a series of deaths kept raising alarm and led the Nigerian Consulate-General in Johannesburg to issue a safety advisory for Nigerians in the areas affected.
After three partially naked bodies were discovered this week, police put Kempton Park in the Ekurhuleni municipality under lockdown and set up roadblocks.
“We cannot continue picking up bodies,” Deputy Police Chief Tebello Mosikili told journalists in Dawn Park, where the most recent body was found beside the road.
Police put up a reward of 400,000 rand ($25,000) for information that leads to the arrest of the killer or killers, and South Africa’s Democratic Alliance added a further $31,000.
Mosikili said investigators would establish whether Thursday’s discovery was tied to the earlier murders or whether they were dealing with a copycat.
In a safety advisory dated September 16, the Nigerian Consulate-General said the deaths of eight women had been reported over roughly two months in and around Ekurhuleni and that the South African Police Service was investigating them.
The mission said a multidisciplinary investigation team, made up of specialized law enforcement resources, had been deployed after the deaths.
It said investigators had found “concerning similarities” in some of the cases and were looking into whether the incidents were connected.
The consulate, however, emphasized that SAPS had not established that a single perpetrator carried out the deaths, nor confirmed that a serial killer was involved.
The latest discovery thus raises the number of bodies recovered in the broader series to nine, though police are still investigating whether the cases are linked.
One victim, 38-year-old Elizabeth Moselakgomo, left her eight-year-old daughter at home to go jogging and never came back. Her body was discovered on September 12 behind a hotel.
Her disappearance drew public attention after fellow runners began a social media campaign to find her, which renewed focus on earlier cases and the later discovery of more bodies.
The first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found naked and bound with cable ties on July 15. Police said a suspect was arrested two days later and appeared in court on Wednesday. Mosikili said the suspect was a foreigner but would not reveal his nationality.
A 32-year-old woman was found partially clothed on August 24, and another woman was discovered naked and in an advanced state of decomposition on September 10.
The consulate called on Nigerians, especially women and girls who live, work, study, exercise, socialize, or regularly travel through Kempton Park, Rhodesfield, and surrounding parts of Ekurhuleni, to be extra vigilant.
It advised Nigerians to avoid walking, jogging, or exercising alone in isolated, poorly lit, deserted, or unfamiliar places, including open fields and secluded pathways.
The mission also urged residents to travel and exercise in groups when possible, to change their routes and times, to stay alert to their surroundings, and to avoid using headphones or mobile phones for long periods in areas with limited visibility or pedestrian activity.
It also encouraged Nigerians to share their destinations, routes, and anticipated return times with family members, friends, or other trusted individuals.
The consulate warned against spreading unverified photos, names, videos, voice notes, or claims that identify supposed suspects or connect unrelated incidents, noting that doing so could compromise investigations and harm innocent people.
The mission stated that its advisory was meant not to cause panic or limit Nigerians’ lawful movement but to make sure community members were informed and could take sensible precautions while investigations were ongoing.
It also emphasized that these safety measures should not be viewed as putting the responsibility for preventing violence on women, nor as a replacement for effective policing, investigation, and accountability.
According to the consulate, the wider crime situation in Gauteng was also a source of concern.
It referenced the most recent SAPS quarterly crime statistics, which showed 1,223 murders, 2,369 sexual offenses, and 39,094 contact crimes against persons in the province between January and March 2026.
It pointed out, however, that the statistics did not show any link between the eight deaths and any specific crime pattern.
Gender-based violence continues to be a serious concern in South Africa, where the United Nations estimates that one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence at some point in her life.
The consulate offered its condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased and encouraged anyone with credible information that could help the investigation to report it directly to the SAPS instead of sharing it on social media.
It said it would keep monitoring developments and coordinating with the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria and the relevant South African authorities.
For Nigerians directly impacted by a serious incident, the consulate provided its community line, +27627642412, and email address, cgijhb@nigerianconsulatesa.org.
There has been reported outrage among Nigerians following the separate killings of two Nigerian nationals, Bishop Michael Fakunle and James Nwankwo, in South Africa, amid concerns over the South African government’s response to the incidents.
Upon being reached again on Thursday, Nigeria’s Consul-General in South Africa, Prof. Bobby Moroe, stated that he was unable to comment until the investigations had been concluded.
He wrote, “Greetings, I cannot comment until the investigations are concluded.”
