South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed that "no stone will be left unturned" in finding those responsible for a series of killings that have left seven women dead in and around Kempton Park, a town north-east of Johannesburg near the country's main international airport. The latest body was discovered on Tuesday in the Kwa-Thema area, approximately 34 kilometres from Kempton Park, found fully naked and in an advanced state of decomposition. Another body had been recovered the previous day in Olifantsontein. Police have now widened their investigation to include a body found on 7 September in a nearby town, bringing the confirmed total to seven.

While authorities have not officially linked the deaths to a single serial killer, police say the similarities between the cases are "sufficiently concerning" to issue a public safety warning and intensify investigations. Most of the women were found either partially or fully naked. A police spokesperson said investigators are also considering the possibility that a group of people may be responsible, or that copycat crimes are occurring. One arrest has been made in connection with the first body, discovered in mid-July, and the suspect remains in custody. So far, only two of the seven victims have been identified. Among them is Elizabeth Moselakgomo, a 38-year-old runner whose disappearance last week triggered a frantic public search after her young daughter raised the alarm when she failed to return from her daily jog. Her body was found on Saturday.

Police have urged women in the Kempton Park area to avoid walking or running alone, particularly in isolated areas, while President Ramaphosa said law enforcement agencies are working "in partnership with citizens" and appealed for any information that could help end the attacks. Authorities have also called on the public to assist in identifying the remaining five victims.

The killings have reignited a fierce national debate about gender-based violence in South Africa, which records some of the world's highest rates of femicide — five times the global average, according to UN Women. Between April and July alone, the country recorded 5,427 murders, an average of 45 per day. A 2022 study found that more than 35% of South African adult women had experienced physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives. The Commission for Gender Equality has called for urgent preventive action, including a safety audit of the affected areas covering lighting, surveillance, pedestrian routes, police visibility and access to emergency services. "Women should not have to be killed before an area receives heightened attention," a commission spokesperson said, adding that women's freedom of movement should never become "a matter of life and death."