JOHANNESBURG - Police are urging the public to be patient as investigators work to establish whether a single suspect or multiple perpetrators are behind a series of women’s deaths in Ekurhuleni.
SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe says investigators are still analysing the evidence and victim profiles before drawing conclusions about possible links between the cases.
She says the multidisciplinary task team investigating the deaths will also be bolstered with additional personnel, including members of specialised units.
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A sixth woman’s body, believed to be that of a woman in her 30s, was found on the side of the road in KwaThema, Springs, on Tuesday morning.
The body was in an advanced state of decomposition, and police believe it may have been dumped in the area earlier that morning.
Mathe says investigators have not yet determined whether the deaths are connected.
“As police, we are still not yet there. The experts are still analysing the dockets, victim profiles and the behaviour of the suspect or suspects. We are still investigating whether we are dealing with one suspect or a group of men,” she said.
Mathe says the investigation is complex and should not be rushed at the risk of compromising the case.
“We are not going to rush the investigators because we need to ensure that they do a thorough job,” she said.
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She also warned that acting on incomplete information could lead to the wrong people being arrested.
“If we put them under pressure to speed up investigations, we might arrest the wrong people. We are pleading with the people of South Africa to exercise a bit of patience,” Mathe said.
She added that now was not the time for a “blame game” as investigators worked to establish the facts.
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The latest discovery has intensified concern across Ekurhuleni, with residents and women’s rights groups calling for greater police visibility and urgent action.
Acting Police Minister Feroz Cachalia is expected to lead a high-level meeting on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the killings and the police response.
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