Police in South Africa have found the body of another woman in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, taking the total of those found dead there in recent months to 10.
Latest victim was discovered on Saturday morning at a cemetery in Tembisa, north-east of central Johannesburg. The woman was identified by her friend, who had spent the previous night with her at a bar, from photographs of the body, police said. Police have not revealed the woman’s identity.
Crime scene investigators were called to the scene to collect evidence as police investigate the cause of death.
Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni said police were not able to rule out a connection with the other murders. He said that while the previous victims had similar characteristics and the method of killing was the same, it was too early to say if a serial killer was responsible.
“For now, it’s not something which we can overrule to say there’s a serial killer, but we cannot conclusively indicate as such,” he said. Most of the other bodies were found in Kempton Park, near Tembisa, since July. Many of the victims were young women who had been subjected to grievous bodily harm before they died.
The murders have fuelled a debate over the high level of violence against women in South Africa. The South African Human Rights Commission said 569 women were killed and 1,052 survived attempted murder between April and June this year.
Three men are due to appear in court this week over one of the earlier murders.
