Tracking the Kempton Park Killings | Where the 9 bodies have been found - IOL

Gauteng police have discovered at least nine bodies in the Kempton Park killings saga which has befallen the people of Ekurhuleni.

Gauteng police have now discovered nine bodies linked with the Kempton Park killings in Ekurhuleni, with a ninth body found dumped on the side of the road in Dawn Park, Boksburg. 

Early indications show that a family member has already identified the body, as a woman was seen wailing at the active crime scene when IOL journalist Simon Majadibodu arrived at the scene on Thursday morning. 

Indications are that the deceased had her throat slit by her killer and that she was also half-naked when her body was found, a consistent theme with the other eight bodies that have been found before hers. 

The body was dumped in an open veld alongside Northern Road in Dawn Park. Deputy National Police Commissioner for policing, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, said they had engaged the Director-General of the State Security Agency to assist with the intelligence component of the investigation.

"Remember, we are saying now that we have three different areas. We have Dawn Park, we have Kempton Park, and we have other areas that we are investigating.

"The intelligence operations are continuing. Some teams have been working throughout the night and have not slept. One team even had to drive to another location.

"They would be in a position to guide the direction of operations, including where we need to go and what checks need to be conducted at the prison. So, when you don't see us being visible, it is because of the direction that the intelligence operatives are giving us on which areas we need to go to and operationalise.

"But my colleagues will not sleep. We will not sleep for as long as there is work to be done. And that is the promise that we gave to the nation on Tuesday, when the Minister made the declaration. We are going to keep to that promise that we have made," she said.

Earlier, Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane confirmed on Tuesday night that authorities had now discovered at least eight bodies linked with the Kempton Park killings in the East Rand. 

The shock and horror spread like wild fire on social media as questions continue to be asked about the police response to the saga which began with the first body found in Pomona, Kempton Park, in July. 

Gauteng police have discovered at least eight bodies in the Kempton Park killings saga which has befallen the people of Ekurhuleni.

The discovery of the bodies of women, who tend to be in their late 20s and 30s, has highlighted the plight women face with gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa. 

"The deaths of eight young women in these circumstances are a reminder to us all that we live in a society in which half the society, at least, the women of our society, our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our children, are unsafe," Cachalia said.

Gauteng police have discovered bodies of women in the Kempton Park suburbs of Pomona, Rhodesfield, Clayville, Olifantsfontein and Springs.

"The thought that someone can go out on a run to participate in a happy event, never to return home, is too unbearable to think about.

"So, at this moment, we are forced to reflect on the implications of living in a society where this level of violence is directed against females or women in our society — the high murder rates, the levels of rape, and domestic violence. Because that is the challenge we face," he said.

Cachalia added that it was perhaps a time to reflect for the people of South Africa. 

"The government has prioritised this matter. The President has declared this a national crisis.

"Perhaps, in this moment, our society will reflect on who we are, on where we are, and the journey we must take forward. So, in this moment of reflection, let us unite to strive for the justice of eight young women and all women in our society who live in constant danger, with constant fear. That is just not acceptable," he said.

Police said the eighth body has been discovered in the Olifantsfontein area. You can read about that discovery here and here. 

The seventh body was discovered last week, but it was only announced to the public on Tuesday, September 15. An inquest docket has been opened at the Thembisa Police Station in respect of this body. 

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Gauteng provincial commissioner Major-General Fred Kekana said the woman's identity remained unknown, but police were going through the necessary processes to identify the victim, who was found half-naked in a river. 

Kekana said a preliminary report about the body discovered in KwaThema showed that the woman appeared to have been strangled to death. 

Police said the body had been found in the Kaalspruit River, which runs behind the Mall of Thembisa. 

IOL journalist Kamogelo Moichela spoke with community leaders about the grim discovery on Tuesday.

Tembisa community leader Khayanga Setlatjile-KaLanga took IOL to the scene and described how they had heard about the body more than a week ago. 

"When we came here, we found a lady who’s selling chickens on the other side of the road; she brought us here. She actually pointed out exactly where the body was picked up.

"I didn’t see the body. She did not even want to look at the body as a woman.

"And then we came here, and we were appalled by what is happening in South Africa. To say: What have we become as South Africans? Why are we killing each other?

"Especially the brutality, the atrocity, the barbarism that our sisters, our daughters, our wives, our spouses are subjected to. It really is hurting.

"I was looking at this other lifeless body, this half-naked body, to say: What kind of male species does that to a female, to a mother, to a daughter?

"Can’t you reverse that and say: If this was my mother, if this was my daughter, if this was my sister, and such a thing happened, can’t you just reverse that?

"What has happened to the man’s consciousness?"

According to residents in the area, the latest body was found naked and it was already in the early stages of decomposing. The area in which the body was dumped is within the township community of KwaThema, Springs, where there are houses, a tuck shop and a local church nearby. 

The GPS location also shows that the local community hall and a stadium are a stone's throw away from the crime scene.

According to Google data, the driving distance between Discovery 1 (Kempton Park Industrial Zone) and Discovery 6 (KwaThema, Springs) is about 40 to 45 kilometres.

By car, the trip typically takes 30 to 40 minutes under normal traffic conditions via the main regional highways (N12 and R21).

Gauteng police made the fifth discovery on the R21 closer to Olifantsfontein. The body remains unidentified and police are urging those with missing loved ones to come forward. 

On Saturday, Gauteng police found a fourth body in the Rhodesfield area. Police said the body of a 38-year-old woman was found during the search for missing jogger Elizabeth Moselakgomo, who had left her 8-year-old daughter at home to go for a run.

The police said the woman found was wearing sports gear. It was later confirmed that Discovery 4 was Moselakgomo, who was also known as "Tsontso" to her friends. 

You can read more about Tsontso here.

Elizabeth "Tsontso” Mokolo Moselakgomo has been positively identified as one of the five women found dead in Gauteng.

In the third incident closer to Rhodesfield, Kempton Park, an unidentified woman’s body was found in a state of decomposition. She was also half-naked and remains unidentified to date.

The circumstances around her death are still under investigation by authorities. 

In the second incident, on August 24, 2026, a 32-year-old woman was found dead.

Gauteng police have said she had visible bruises on her body and she was found half-naked. Her body was also found on the R21 highway, Kempton Park.

A 37-year-old old woman was found half-naked and dead in an open veld near the R21 highway.

In this instance, Gauteng police say a suspect was arrested two days later. He has been in custody ever since.

Dimpane has ordered a task team to lead investigations into the Kempton Park murders. The team will include detectives from specialised units, including the Murder and Robbery Unit and the Investigative Psychology Unit.

Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Major-General Mbuso Khumalo has been appointed to lead the investigations.

Police have also called on women in particular not to run or walk alone, to avoid secluded spaces, remain vigilant and, where possible, travel or exercise in groups.

In the meantime, nationwide runs in the form of protest and candlelit walks are taking place in honour of the slain women.

Follow the Kempton Park Killings saga here.