The woman whose body was discovered on the side of a road in KwaThema, Springs, has been formally identified as 38-year-old Dineo Evelyn Motapane, as police intensify investigations into the deaths of eight women across Ekurhuleni.
The South African Police Service confirmed that Motapane’s family positively identified her body at the Springs Mortuary on Wednesday afternoon, 16 September 2026.
According to her family, Motapane was last seen alive on Sunday, 13 September.
She had not yet been reported missing when her body was discovered.
Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane has conveyed her condolences to the Motapane family following the identification.
Dimpane also assured the family and the community that police remain on the ground and are intensifying investigations into the deaths of the eight women.
A multidisciplinary team of investigators and specialists is working to establish the circumstances surrounding each case, identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
Motapane is the latest victim to be formally identified, following the identification of Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo and Itumeleng Kekana.
The deaths have prompted an intensified police response, with Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia announcing a R400,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
The Democratic Alliance has also offered an additional R500,000 for information that could assist the investigations.
Police have cautioned that the deaths of all eight women have not been conclusively linked. Investigators are examining each case to determine whether any of the deaths are connected.
The circumstances surrounding Motapane’s death, including its cause and whether it is linked to the other cases, remain under investigation.
