JOHANNESBURG - “One death is too many,” says Tumi Sole, founder of running club Run With Sole, as Kempton Park residents and runners gather outside the local police station to demand greater safety for women.
Sole’s comments come as the search continues for 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, a member of the running club who has been missing since Wednesday.
Moselakgomo went for her regular afternoon run in the Rhodesfield area of Kempton Park but never returned home.
READ: Kempton Park residents, runners demand action over women's safety
The search took on added urgency after the body of an unidentified woman wearing running clothes was discovered in Rhodesfield on Saturday.
Police have not confirmed that the body is that of Moselakgomo.
Her family is expected to identify the body at the Germiston mortuary on Monday.
Sole says the uncertainty is devastating for Moselakgomo’s family and those who know her.
“We can’t imagine what the family is going through and the only thing we are hoping for is positive news,” he says.
He is also calling on law enforcement and government to take the safety of women seriously.
“We know that South Africa is quite a violent country, but there is power in numbers,” Sole says.
The latest discovery has also raised concerns among residents, with police confirming that several women’s bodies have been found in the Kempton Park area in recent months.
Sole says it is particularly unsettling that the community only became aware of the previous deaths after Moselakgomo went missing.
READ: Fear grips Kempton Park as police investigate deaths of four women
“At the very least, a warning should have been sent out,” he says.
The body of a 37-year-old woman was found in the area on 15 July. She was found naked, with her body restrained by cable ties. Her boyfriend has been arrested in connection with her murder.
A second woman, aged 32, was found partially clothed on 24 August.
On 10 September, an unidentified woman was found in a state of decomposition.
Sole says he hopes the incidents will prompt both law enforcement and the community to be more vigilant.
“We know that South Africa is quite a violent country, but there is power in numbers,” he says.
The search for Moselakgomo continues, with her family awaiting confirmation of the identity of the woman found on Saturday.