Police are now pursuing accused people in two separate Ekurhuleni murder cases as investigators continue examining whether there are links between nine women whose bodies have been found since July.
Fortunate Masilela and Tsakane Nester Msithini appeared in the Boksburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 21, in connection with the murder of Jabulile Ntimba, whose body was found in Dawn Park on September 17.
They face charges of premeditated murder and defeating or obstructing the course of justice. Their case was postponed to October 1 for a formal bail application and they remain in custody.
A third suspect, a man arrested with the two women, did not appear in court and was released without being charged. Police said there was insufficient evidence to place him before court, although investigations involving him are continuing.
The NPA says the two accused allegedly knew Ntimba and were with her on the night of the incident.
Deputy National Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Tebello Mosikili said police believe Ntimba’s murder may have stemmed from a relationship described as a love triangle. Police have, however, withheld further details because they say this could compromise the investigation and court process.
In the murder of Busisiwe Mahlangu, 37, the first victim found in Kempton Park, a suspect was arrested two days after her body was found and has appeared in court several times and remains in custody. The suspect, believed to have been Mahlangu's partner, is due back in the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court on October 28.
Mahlangu's case already had the arrest before the other eight women's bodies were discovered. Police subsequently examined whether there could be connections between that case and the later deaths. They have not established that connection.
Mahlangu and Ntimba are the bookends of the nine women's deaths, whose bodies were found in Ekurhuleni since July. Mahlangu's body was found in Kempton Park on July 15 and Ntimba on September 17 in Dawn Park. In between these two murders lie seven other women whose deaths are still being investigated.
Mosikili said investigators were continuing to conduct follow-ups into possible links between the cases, but police have not established that the nine deaths are connected.
Another woman found dead in Soweto
As the Ekurhuleni investigation continues, police have opened an inquest after the body of another unidentified woman was found in Moroka, Soweto, on Sunday, September 20.
The woman, believed to be in her twenties, was found wrapped in a duvet in a dam at about 5pm.
Gauteng police said the circumstances surrounding her death were not yet known. There is currently no indication from police that the Soweto death is connected to the nine Ekurhuleni cases.
The Soweto case is being treated separately at this stage and is an inquest rather than a murder case before court.
The nine deaths under investigation
The women have been identified as:
- Busisiwe Mahlangu – found in Kempton Park on July 15
- Itumeleng Kekana – found in Kempton Park on August 3
- Nomfesane Mjobo – found in Kempton Park on August 26
- Unidentified woman – found floating in the Clayville River, Olifantsfontein, on September 7
- Gracious Nkomo – found in Kempton Park on September 10
- Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo – found in Kempton Park on September 12
- Name withheld – found in Olifantsfontein on September 14, with police withholding her name until her family is informed
- Dineo Evelyn Motapane – found in Kwa-Thema on September 15
- Jabulile Ntimba – found in Dawn Park on September 17
According to information released by police, all nine women were in their 20s and 30s. Their bodies exhibited a similar pattern of visible bruising or severe trauma, including multiple stab wounds, and were predominantly left in open public or secluded areas and along roads.
Police suspect the actual killings occurred elsewhere.
Police have also said the cases show differences in modus operandi and possible motives. There is no conclusive evidence that a serial killer is responsible for the deaths.
The women identified so far
For their families, the names represent lives rather than a crime statistic.
Itumeleng Kekana, 32, the youngest of seven siblings, was missing for 17 days before her body was found. Her family searched hospitals, police stations, mortuaries and other locations while trying to find her. She left behind a 14-year-old daughter. She was from Mmakwane Village in Qwaqwa, where she was buried on August 22. Her devastated brother described her as loving mother and sister and an avid Orlando Pirates fan.
Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38, disappeared after leaving home for her usual afternoon run. Her eight-year-old daughter raised the alarm when she did not return, prompting a search that became one of the most publicised of the cases. Her disappearance also brought the deaths of other women in the area to wider attention. She was buried on Sunday. She leaves behind her eight-year-old daughter.
Dineo Evelyn Motapane, 38, was last seen alive on Sunday, September 13. Her family tried to contact her that evening after the death of their uncle, but her phone was already switched off. They assumed she would return. She did not. Her body was found beside a road in Kwa-Thema on September 15 and identified at Springs Mortuary the following day. She left behind a two-year-old daughter.
Her family said they do not have the means to bury Motapane.
Her elder cousin, Ayanda Nano, described her as an entrepreneur who sold polony hampers with her cousins to help support the family.
Nano said Motapane also took piece jobs as a cleaner, with the cousins combining their earnings to support themselves and their children.
The family of Gracious Nkomo, 28, searched for her for weeks, checking mortuaries, hospitals, police stations and areas around Kempton Park. Her photographs were also circulated in missing-person appeals on social media before her family identified her at Germiston Mortuary on September 17.
What investigators are doing
The Ekurhuleni investigation has been elevated to a multidisciplinary specialised team, with the investigation being coordinated at national level.
Police are continuing to examine evidence from the different crime scenes and follow possible connections without assuming that the cases are linked.
A R400,000 reward has been offered for information that could assist investigators in solving the killings.
Police have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS app.
The investigation has produced arrests in two separate cases, while police continue to examine whether evidence connects any of the nine deaths. So far, no such connection has been established.
vivian.warby@nationalmg.co.za
