The Democratic Alliance (DA) has offered an additional R500,000 reward for information that could assist investigations into the deaths of eight women whose bodies have been discovered across Ekurhuleni.
The announcement follows an earlier decision by Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia to offer R400,000 for information leading to an arrest.
Together, the two announced amounts bring the potential reward to R900,000, although the DA’s specific conditions for payment and whether the rewards can be claimed together have not yet been clarified.
The DA’s intervention comes amid mounting concern over the discovery of women’s bodies in and around Kempton Park and other parts of Ekurhuleni since July.
Police have deployed specialised investigative teams as they work to determine the circumstances surrounding each death and establish whether any of the cases are connected.
Among the victims formally identified are Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, who disappeared after leaving home for her routine run, and Itumeleng Kekana, who was reported missing on 17 July.
Police previously disclosed that four of the first five women whose cases were examined had been sexually assaulted.
However, investigators have cautioned against assuming that all eight deaths are linked or that a single perpetrator is responsible.
Acting Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Major General Fred Kekana also clarified that one of the women added to the count was found floating in a river on 7 September. She was wearing only underwear, had no visible injuries and remained unidentified at the time of the briefing.
The investigation has prompted an intensified police response, including plans for heightened operations in Kempton Park.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has also directed police to prioritise the cases and pursue all available investigative leads.
The DA’s additional reward is intended to encourage anyone with information that could help investigators to come forward.
Police continue to appeal to members of the public to provide credible information that could assist in identifying those responsible and establishing what happened to the women.
