Ekurhuleni’s name means “place of peace” in Tsonga, a name chosen to reflect hope for the metro after the political violence that tore through parts of the East Rand in the early 1990s.
In 2026, however, there is little peace for Ekurhuleni.
The metro is under intense scrutiny as it has become the focus of several major investigations and political developments at the same time.
Police are investigating the deaths of nine women whose bodies have been discovered in and around the metro since July.
A high-level investigation has been established, with additional detectives, forensic experts, intelligence officers and specialised resources brought in. Police are offering a R400,000 reward for information that could lead to arrests.
Residents have also criticised the municipality over conditions they say are making some areas unsafe, including long grass, broken streetlights and a lack of visible policing.
Separately, four current or former senior Ekurhuleni officials are facing criminal charges arising from allegations investigated in connection with the Madlanga Commission.
And this week the Special Investigating Unit revealed that 208 municipal stands in Villa Liza, Boksburg, were allegedly fraudulently transferred into private hands between 2018 and 2022, according to its investigation.
All of this is happening as Ekurhuleni prepares for the November 4 local government elections, with 67 political parties contesting proportional-representation seats.
Nine women's deaths
The deaths of now nine women have prompted a major police investigation across Ekurhuleni.
Police have stressed that they have not established that the cases are connected and have cautioned against prematurely describing the deaths as the work of a serial killer.
The ninth body was discovered in Dawn Park / Villa Liza area in Boksburg, at a construction site on the side of a road on September 17, according to SAPS, bringing the number of women whose bodies have been found to nine in two months.
Four of the women have now been identified by their families: 32-year-old Itumeleng Kekana, 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo , 38-year-old Dineo Evelyn Motapane and 28-year-old Gracious Nkomo.
One suspect is in custody in connection with one of the cases, but investigators have not established whether the deaths were committed by one perpetrator, multiple perpetrators or were unrelated incidents.
The deaths have prompted anger and renewed demands for greater protection for women.
Residents have specifically criticised the state of some public spaces, with calls for long grass to be cut, broken streetlights to be repaired and policing to be more visible.
The Commission for Gender Equality has called for an urgent safety audit of the affected areas involving SAPS, the municipality, transport authorities and community safety structures.
It said the audit should examine lighting, surveillance, pedestrian routes, public transport points, vacant or poorly monitored spaces, police visibility and access to emergency assistance.
Residents have also questioned why some long-standing service-delivery problems were addressed only after Moselakgomo's death. In Rhodesfield, residents said streetlights had been out since 2019 and that municipal crews arrived to address lighting, drainage and other problems after the killing.
The commission said women should not have to avoid roads, stop exercising outdoors, change their working hours or travel only in groups to feel safe.
The anger over conditions in Ekurhuleni predates the deaths. Residents have repeatedly protested service-delivery failures, while allegations of corruption and maladministration have been investigated for years.
R58m in municipal land
Separately, the Special Investigating Unit approached the Special Tribunal on Friday, seeking the the reversal of 208 allegedly fraudulent transfers of municipal land in Ekurhuleni and recovery of losses suffered by the municipality.
The SIU said its investigation found that 208 of 221 vacant stands it examined in Villa Liza, near Boksburg, were transferred between 2018 and 2022 without council resolutions or lawful authority. The properties had a combined municipal value of about R58 million.
The investigation found that forged rates-clearance certificates and fabricated powers of attorney were allegedly used to facilitate the transfers.
According to the SIU, the stands were recorded in the Deeds Office to have sold for R18,000 each in Deeds Office records, despite municipal valuations ranging from R80,000 to R3.7 million. Some were later resold for an average of about R250,000.
The municipality did not receive money from the transactions, according to the SIU.
The investigation found that an alleged “agent” identified unallocated municipal land and worked with a conveyancing firm that was not on the municipality’s panel of approved attorneys.
The SIU said forged documents were used to deceive the Deeds Office and that the conveyancer and his spouse acquired 73 stands through Velamelda Trust and Mokolane Investments. These are findings and allegations contained in the SIU investigation and remain subject to legal proceedings.
Importantly, the SIU said it found no evidence that Ekurhuleni municipal officials or Deeds Office officials participated in this particular scheme.
The SIU said cash payments made it difficult to trace the money.
It has submitted 208 referrals to the National Prosecuting Authority for possible prosecution. It has also referred the conveyancing firm to the Legal Practice Council and made referrals to SARS and the Financial Intelligence Centre. The SIU said 147 referrals were made to the FIC over alleged non-compliance with the Financial Intelligence Centre Act.
The Special Tribunal application seeks to have the transfers reviewed and set aside and to recover losses suffered by the municipality.
The case could also leave homeowners facing uncertainty over properties they may have believed they acquired lawfully.
Four senior officials face charges
Former city manager Imogen Mashazi, suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi, head of human resources Linda Gxasheka and head of legal services Kemi Behari were arrested in July.
They appeared in the Germiston Magistrates' Court on charges including fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice. The charges relate to allegations that disciplinary action against Mkhwanazi was obstructed.
The state alleges that Behari and Gxasheka received salary increases after the disciplinary process was allegedly frustrated. The accused have denied the allegations.
All four were granted R50,000 bail.
The case arose from investigations associated with the Madlanga Commission, which is examining allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system.
The arrests also intensified political pressure over the conduct of senior officials in the metro.
And now, an election
Ekurhuleni goes to the polls on November 4, with 67 political parties contesting seats on the metro’s proportional-representation ballot. The figure is confirmed by the Electoral Commission.
The DA, in its Ekurhuleni campaign, described the metro as “the centre of the gangster state in South Africa – a city of massive looting, corrupt cadres, potholes, outages, corruption and decline”. The characterisation is the DA’s campaign position and is not a finding of fact.
Several parties have meanwhile already named their mayoral candidates.
The DA has selected Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, ActionSA has chosen Xolani Khumalo, the EFF has put forward former council speaker Nthabiseng Tshivhenga and the MK Party has selected MP Thulani Shongwe.
The ANC’s shortlist includes incumbent mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza and regional secretary Jongizizwe Dlabathi, while Pelisa Nkunjani is also among the shortlisted candidates. Ntombi Mekgwe was also among the ANC’s four shortlisted candidates, although she did not appear in the party’s final PR list.
The election will determine the composition of the next council.
For now, Ekurhuleni is dealing with several major developments at once: a police investigation into nine women’s deaths, criminal proceedings involving four senior municipal officials, an SIU investigation into municipal land and a fiercely contested election.
The cases are separate. But they are unfolding in the same place: Ekurhuleni, the “place of peace”, where voters now go to the polls with safety, governance, service delivery and trust in the municipality all under scrutiny.