JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — 15 September 2026: South African police have intensified their investigation into the deaths of five women found in and around Kempton Park and nearby Olifantsfontein since July. The latest confirmed developments are the recovery of a fifth woman’s body on 14 September and the formal identification of the fourth woman as 38-year-old runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo. Police say they are testing possible links between the cases but have not established that a serial killer is responsible.
What have police confirmed about the Kempton Park women’s deaths? Police are investigating five deaths, have formed a multidisciplinary team and confirmed Elizabeth Moselakgomo as one of the women. One suspect is in custody in connection with the first case. Investigators have not confirmed that the five deaths are linked or the work of one offender.
What police are investigating
The South African Police Service statement says a multidisciplinary team of detectives and specialised resources is examining the circumstances of each death, analysing evidence and looking for possible connections. Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane directed the team to intensify its work after Moselakgomo’s identification and the discovery of another body.
The fifth woman was found on Porcelain Avenue in Olifantsfontein on Monday morning. Her identity and the circumstances of her death had not been publicly established by the reporting cutoff. Daily Maverick’s reporting from the scene says a passerby alerted authorities and that forensic teams, including a police dog unit, worked at the site.
Police have identified similarities between some scenes, but that is an investigative lead—not a finding that one person committed all five crimes. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said investigators and the police’s investigative psychology unit must compare evidence before determining whether the cases are connected. SABC News reported that police currently have no evidence establishing a serial killer.
One suspect remains in custody in connection with the first woman’s death, after her body was found near the R21 in July. Police have not said that this arrest connects the suspect to the later cases. That distinction matters: an arrest in one case does not prove responsibility for other deaths, and an arrest is not a conviction.
Elizabeth Moselakgomo identified
Moselakgomo disappeared after leaving her Rhodesfield home for a run. Her body was found in the area over the weekend and her family positively identified her at the Germiston mortuary on Monday, 14 September.
Jacaranda FM reported the formal identification and the police decision to reinforce the investigation. Dimpane offered condolences to the family and said police would work to establish exactly what happened. The cause and precise circumstances of Moselakgomo’s death had not been publicly finalised at the cutoff.
CRIME PREVENTION
Kempton Park Women’s Deaths: What Police Have Confirmed
Sep 15, 2026
Sep 15, 2026
5 min read
Published
Updated:
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — 15 September 2026: South African police have intensified their investigation into the deaths of five women found in and around Kempton Park and nearby Olifantsfontein since July. The latest confirmed developments are the recovery of a fifth woman’s body on 14 September and the formal identification of the fourth woman as 38-year-old runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo. Police say they are testing possible links between the cases but have not established that a serial killer is responsible.
What have police confirmed about the Kempton Park women’s deaths? Police are investigating five deaths, have formed a multidisciplinary team and confirmed Elizabeth Moselakgomo as one of the women. One suspect is in custody in connection with the first case. Investigators have not confirmed that the five deaths are linked or the work of one offender.
What police are investigating
The South African Police Service statement says a multidisciplinary team of detectives and specialised resources is examining the circumstances of each death, analysing evidence and looking for possible connections. Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane directed the team to intensify its work after Moselakgomo’s identification and the discovery of another body.
The fifth woman was found on Porcelain Avenue in Olifantsfontein on Monday morning. Her identity and the circumstances of her death had not been publicly established by the reporting cutoff. Daily Maverick’s reporting from the scene says a passerby alerted authorities and that forensic teams, including a police dog unit, worked at the site.
Police have identified similarities between some scenes, but that is an investigative lead—not a finding that one person committed all five crimes. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said investigators and the police’s investigative psychology unit must compare evidence before determining whether the cases are connected. SABC News reported that police currently have no evidence establishing a serial killer.
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One suspect remains in custody in connection with the first woman’s death, after her body was found near the R21 in July. Police have not said that this arrest connects the suspect to the later cases. That distinction matters: an arrest in one case does not prove responsibility for other deaths, and an arrest is not a conviction.
Elizabeth Moselakgomo identified
Moselakgomo disappeared after leaving her Rhodesfield home for a run. Her body was found in the area over the weekend and her family positively identified her at the Germiston mortuary on Monday, 14 September.
Jacaranda FM reported the formal identification and the police decision to reinforce the investigation. Dimpane offered condolences to the family and said police would work to establish exactly what happened. The cause and precise circumstances of Moselakgomo’s death had not been publicly finalised at the cutoff.
The athletics community has also responded. eNCA reported that Athletics South Africa and Team Vitality mourned Moselakgomo and called for the investigation to establish the truth. The public tribute adds a sporting-community dimension to a case already driving wider concern about women’s freedom to exercise safely.
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Her relatives asked the public for restraint while identification was pending. That caution still applies to claims about suspects, motives and links between the deaths. Sharing unverified names or accusing people on social media can obstruct an investigation and expose uninvolved people to harm.
What residents have been told
Police have appealed to residents, motorists and security personnel who saw suspicious activity in Rhodesfield, Kempton Park or surrounding areas to provide information. Authorities have also urged women and girls to travel or exercise in groups where possible, avoid isolated areas and share their location with trusted people while the investigation continues.
Those precautions should not be read as placing responsibility on potential victims. Community members have demanded more visible policing and faster communication, while advocacy group Women For Change described the deaths as a serious test of the state’s response to gender-based violence. SABC News carried the group’s call for implementation rather than repeated promises.
The investigation also sits inside a broader Gauteng security debate. XTRAfrica has previously reported on the police response to a Johannesburg mass shooting, Operation Shanela II arrests in Mpumalanga and the Booysens court shooting investigation. Each case requires its own evidence and should not be folded into a single narrative without official findings.
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What remains unconfirmed
Police have not confirmed that all five women were killed by the same person or group. They have not publicly identified the fifth woman, announced an arrest connected to the later four cases or published a forensic conclusion linking the scenes. Online labels such as “serial killer” therefore go beyond the verified record.
The next reliable milestones will be formal identification of the remaining women, post-mortem findings released through authorised channels, further arrests or a police statement confirming or excluding links among the cases. Until then, the strongest account is also the most limited: five deaths are under investigation, one woman has now been named publicly, and detectives are testing the evidence.
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