'In This Country We Are Prey': Eighth Woman's Body Found Near Johannesburg Fuels Femicide Anger

An eighth woman's body has been found near Johannesburg in under two months, deepening fear and anger over South Africa's wider femicide crisis. The discovery came days after missing runner Elizabeth 'Tsontso' Moselakgomo was found dead in a case that had already gripped the country.

Moselakgomo's friend, Sakane Mokoena, posted on Instagram after her death was confirmed. 'In this country we are prey,' she wrote. The phrase reflected wider anger and fear among women following the deaths.

A Missing Run That Ended in Tragedy

Moselakgomo, 38, failed to return from a run on 9 September. Her eight-year-old daughter alerted relatives, who contacted police. The search that followed went viral online, and her body was found on the Saturday before being identified by relatives on the Monday.

Bodies Found Across Kempton Park

Police said four women's bodies had been found since 15 July in Kempton Park, across the highway from OR Tambo International Airport. Two more were found in Olifantsfontein, roughly 15 miles north, while another was recovered 25 miles to the south-east, with the wider investigation now covering eight women's deaths in the area.

Only two victims have so far been identified: Moselakgomo and 32-year-old Itumeleng Kekana. Police have not confirmed that the deaths are connected or that they were carried out by a single perpetrator.

Police Weigh Possible Link Between Cases

Acting Gauteng provincial commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said investigators were examining whether the cases were connected, but cautioned against assuming one perpetrator was responsible. 'Investigators are considering all possibilities, including the possibility of multiple suspects or separate perpetrators,' he said.

'Police are comparing the evidence, timelines, locations, victim profiles and circumstances of each case before reaching conclusions,' he added. The police investigation remains ongoing, with no confirmed link between the wider group of deaths.

Anger Over 'Vigilance' Advice

Police urged women in the area not to walk or run alone, particularly in isolated areas. The advice drew sharp criticism from campaigners.

'We are tired of being told to be vigilant when women are already doing everything possible to stay alive,' said the advocacy group Women For Change. 'It should not take a missing woman, a desperate family, runners and communities searching, and a case going viral, before an area is searched with this intensity,' the group said.

A Crisis Declared, Not Solved

South Africa has one of the highest femicide rates in the world. Women were killed at a rate of 12.2 per 100,000 women in 2022, nearly six times the global rate, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

South African Police Service's annual crime report recorded 3,485 murders of women aged 18 and above in the year to March 2024.

President Cyril Ramaphosa declared gender-based violence and femicide a national crisis in November 2025 after women protested ahead of the G20 summit in Johannesburg.

Rachel Kolisi, Siya Kolisi's former wife, reacted to the latest deaths online, writing: 'Let's be clear. It's femicide,' followed by, 'I feel sick. Exhausted.'

The discoveries near Johannesburg have renewed scrutiny of South Africa's response to a crisis formally acknowledged by the government nearly a year ago.

With no confirmed link between the cases and no arrests announced in connection with the wider group of deaths, the story has prompted questions about how the national crisis declaration is being translated into protection for women on the ground.