EAST RAND MURDERS: After another woman murdered in Ekurhuleni, here’s what we know about the killings

Twenty-three-year-old Boitumelo Nhlanzi had just left home and was on her way to work when she was shot dead in Temong Section, Mapungubwe Street, Tembisa, in the early hours of Monday morning, 28 September 2026. Nhlanzi’s belongings were taken during the incident, prompting police to launch a murder and robbery investigation.

“The only thing I can think about now is her son,” her friend Lydia Mpyana told Daily Maverick, adding that she did not know how the family would break the news to her minor child.

“It’s painful. She was very young, and she was just starting her own life.”

Mpyana, who lives near Nhlanzi’s house, was at home when she received a phone call about her friend’s murder. She initially felt afraid to approach the scene, fearing she could become the next target of a potential “serial killer”.

“But I came here and we found her,” she said.

Community members, including some of Nhlanzi’s relatives, stood inconsolable at the scene as her body lay on the street.

After forensic investigators removed Nhlanzi’s body, her relatives remained to clean her blood from the pavement.

‘Excruciating pain’

“Our family is in excruciating pain. I arrived to find my niece’s body lying here in the street,” said Nhlanzi’s uncle, Motsatsi Khoza.

Speaking to media at the scene, Khoza said he believed Nhlanzi may have been a victim of intimate-partner violence. According to Khoza, when the family called Nhlanzi’s husband to tell him she had been killed, he said he was on his way, but never arrived. His phone was switched off soon afterwards.

When the family went to his residence, they were told he had left at about 4am.

Police have since linked Nhlanzi’s estranged husband to her murder and identified him as a person of interest. The SAPS Tembisa Tracking Team had been tracing him when the Midrand police informed investigators that his vehicle had been found in their policing precinct with his body inside.

“It is believed that he may have ingested an unknown substance, as no foul play is suspected at this stage. A post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death,” said Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili. 

What points to a connected series

Ekurhuleni has been under the spotlight since the murder of Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo in September 2026 highlighted what appeared to be a series of related killings both before and after her murder.

Nhlanzi is the 12th woman reported to have been murdered in Ekurhuleni since July, although her murder is not being investigated as part of the task team looking into the earlier cases. It’s currently unclear whether or how many other women have been murdered in the area during this period in circumstances unrelated to these cases.

The SAPS has appointed a task team to investigate the previous cases related to the Ekurhuleni killings. Police have pointed to similarities among the victims and the circumstances in which some of their bodies were found, but have cautioned against concluding that a serial killer may be operating in Gauteng.

All 13 victims were black women in their 20s or 30s. Geographically, the cases are concentrated broadly around Kempton Park, the R21 highway, Clayville and Tembisa, while cases in Dawn Park and Springs are further removed.

One woman’s body was found outside Ekurhuleni, floating in Moroka Dam in Soweto.

Ten of the 13 victims have been publicly named by police. At least four were reported missing before their bodies were discovered. 

Gracious Nkomo is the only foreign national to have been publicly identified; the others are South African women.

The number of cases has also increased rapidly. Six bodies were discovered within 10 days in September.

All were found in secluded or open spaces, including open veld, roadsides, rivers, a cemetery, and behind a club. No eyewitnesses have been publicly identified in any of the cases.

Five victims were found near the R21 highway. Most of the bodies were found partially or completely naked, while several had visible injuries of varying severity. Several were also in advanced stages of decomposition.

Police say the similarities in the victims’ profiles and the condition and location of the bodies are among the reasons they are investigating possible links between the cases.

What doesn’t fit the pattern

Some of the cases seem to be unconnected, due to details that have emerged. The differences, however, don’t automatically rule out a serial offender.

A forensic specialist, who previously spoke to Daily Maverick anonymously because of her ongoing work with the SAPS, said that similarities between cases could help investigators identify a possible serial pattern, but differences did not necessarily rule one out.

Serial offenders can change their methods, she said, while South Africa’s high rates of violent crime also mean that cases occurring in the same area may be unrelated.

Some cases, including Nhlanzi’s, have apparent relationship links. Busisiwe Mahlangu’s partner was arrested in connection with her murder on 17 July 2026, two days after her body was discovered. 

Police arrested three people for Jabulile Ntimba’s murder. Two women, Fortunate Masilela and Tsakane Nester Msithini, remain in custody, while a male suspect was released because police did not have sufficient evidence to charge him. Deputy National Police Commissioner Tebello Mosikili said investigators believed the killing might have stemmed from a relationship-related matter, including a possible “love triangle”.

The latest arrest is a 36-year-old suspect in connection with Ntombifuthi Nxumalo’s murder after investigators traced him allegedly fleeing to Tzaneen, Limpopo. He is due to appear in the Tembisa Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 29 September. It is unclear whether the suspect was known to Nxumalo or what his relationship to her was.

The suspects arrested in connection with separate cases raise the possibility that the apparent pattern may involve multiple perpetrators rather than a single offender.

The circumstances surrounding the women’s disappearances also differ. Several were reported missing for lengthy periods before their bodies were found, while others appear to have been killed shortly before their bodies were discovered.

The causes of death also vary, while several remain unconfirmed. Some victims suffered multiple stab wounds; Jabulile Ntimba’s throat was slit; Dineo Motapane appeared to have been strangled; preliminary findings suggest Ntombifuthi Nxumalo may have been stoned; and Boitumelo Nhlanzi died from gunshot wounds.

Twenty-eight-year-old Vutomi Mathebula’s disappearance also involved a ransom demand. She was reportedly last seen on 22 March 2026 after telling her family she was going shopping in Dragon City, Johannesburg. After losing contact with her, her family reported her missing the following day.

According to the family’s spokesperson, Tiyiselani Maringa, people claiming to have abducted Mathebula later contacted the family and demanded a ransom, threatening to kill her if it was not paid. The family sent R3,000, but a further R2,500 was demanded. Maringa said the family was never given the opportunity to speak to Mathebula.

Her body was discovered nearly six months later, on Monday morning, 14 September, after a passerby alerted authorities after spotting her remains on Porcelain Avenue in Olifantsfontein.

Former SAPS profiler Gérard Labuschagne has argued that investigators should treat the cases as serial until evidence shows otherwise, pointing to the proximity of the killings, their timing and the similarities between the victims.

As investigations continue, and with arrests made in only a handful of cases, it remains unclear whether one or more perpetrators may be responsible for multiple murders, or whether the cases are unrelated. Questions remain unanswered while the death toll continues to rise. DM