Police have clarified that the seventh woman whose death has been added to the growing number of cases under investigation in Ekurhuleni was found on 7 September 2026, and was not a new discovery made this week.
Acting Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Major General Fred Kekana, who addressed the media on Tuesday, said the unidentified woman’s body was found floating in a river with only underwear on.
The woman was wearing only underwear when her body was recovered.
Kekana said there were no visible injuries on the woman’s body, meaning police cannot at this stage determine whether her death bears any connection to the other deaths of women being investigated across Ekurhuleni.
The woman also remains unidentified.
Police have added the case to those being examined as investigators determine whether there are links between any of the women found dead across the metro over the past two months.
However, Kekana stressed that police have not established that the seventh woman’s death is connected to the other cases.
The clarification is important because the circumstances surrounding this woman’s death differ from some of the other cases that have heightened concern across Ekurhuleni.
Police initially focused on a series of women whose bodies were discovered in and around Kempton Park between July and September. The investigation has since widened as additional cases in other parts of Ekurhuleni have come under scrutiny.
Among the victims is 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, who disappeared after leaving her home for her routine run. Her body was later discovered in Rhodesfield and subsequently identified by her family.
Police also revealed during an earlier briefing that four of the five women whose cases were being investigated at that stage had been sexually assaulted.
Another woman’s body was subsequently discovered next to a road in KwaThema, Springs, further increasing concern over the deaths of women across the metro.
Despite the growing number of cases, police have repeatedly cautioned against concluding that every death is connected or that one perpetrator is responsible.
The case of the seventh woman illustrates why investigators are maintaining that position. Although she was found partially undressed, there were no visible injuries, and her cause of death has not yet been established.
Forensic examinations, including the post-mortem, will therefore be critical in determining how she died and whether there is any evidence linking her death to other cases.
Police are also working to establish the woman’s identity as investigations continue.
