JOHANNESBURG — The body of a seventh woman has been found in Ekurhuleni, adding to a string of deaths that has sparked concern among residents and heightened fears about women’s safety.
The body was discovered floating in a river in Clayville, near the Mall of Thembisa, on 7 September.
Acting Gauteng Police Commissioner Major-General Fred Kekana says the latest discovery will form part of the ongoing investigations into the deaths.
"It is no more six bodies; this one will include it as the seventh body so that we don't leave anything," Kekana said.
"But she was found naked but with her underwear on, she was naked but with her underwear on. I don't want to speculate whether clothes were taken by the river, the flow of the river, or what, but we included it now to be part of what we are going to look at."
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This brings to seven the number of women whose bodies have been found in the area since July, with four discovered in just the past few days.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed police to urgently investigate and solve the murders of multiple women in Ekurhuleni.
The string of deaths has raised fresh safety concerns among women, amid growing fears that a serial killer could be operating in the area.