The discovery of multiple murdered women in Ekurhuleni, a residential region near Johannesburg, has triggered fear and grief among local families and renewed calls for action against gender-based violence in a country with one of the highest rates of such violence in the world.
Among the victims is 38-year-old Dineo Motapane, a mother of two last seen alive on Sunday. Her battered and partly burned body was found later in Ekurhuleni. Her aunt, Nokwanda Matshikiza, speaking from the family home, said the family is struggling to come to terms with the killing. "What we are going to do, I have no idea, but something must give," she said. "For us, for all the other women. How many other bodies will be found before something happens?"
Dineo's body was one of three discovered in Ekurhuleni this week. In total, nine bodies of murdered women have been found in similar circumstances in the region since July, according to the BBC.
Another family in mourning is that of Itumeleng Kekana, a 32-year-old shopkeeper whose body was found in July, 17 days after she was last seen alive. Her body was badly bruised, partially clothed, and dumped on a bridge. Her brother, Themba Kekana, described the family's devastation. "We are devastated with grief," he said. "I look at my sister's young daughter and my eyes fill with tears, I know there is no way that I can ever take this pain away from her. No family should have to deal with what we are faced with."
So far, only one arrest has been made in connection with the cases, though authorities have not released further details.
The spate of discoveries has brought renewed attention to the broader crisis of violence against women in South Africa, where gender-based violence has long been a pressing social issue. Activists and families are demanding stronger measures to protect women and hold perpetrators accountable.