A man believed to be the boyfriend of a 37-year-old woman found dead in Ekurhuleni has been arrested, as South African police intensify investigations into a series of deaths that has now claimed eight women in the wider Kempton Park area.
Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane confirmed the arrest during a senior police and government briefing in Parktown, Gauteng, on Tuesday, 15 September 2026.
The arrest relates to one of the cases being examined by a specialised police investigation established after detectives began assessing whether there could be links between several of the deaths.
Police have stressed that there is currently no conclusive evidence establishing that a single person is responsible for all eight deaths.
Boyfriend arrested after woman’s body was discovered
According to Dimpane, the 37-year-old woman was found dead in July, and her boyfriend was arrested two days after the discovery of her body.
The arrest does not, by itself, establish criminal responsibility. Investigators must still gather and test evidence, while any criminal charges and subsequent court proceedings will determine the legal position of the suspect.
Dimpane said one of the cases had already been investigated to the point where an arrest could be made. Police have also identified another individual as a person of interest and are continuing to pursue that line of inquiry.
The developments come as investigators attempt to establish whether the deaths are connected or represent separate criminal cases.
Specialised task team investigates possible links
SAPS has assembled a multidisciplinary investigation involving specialised detectives as well as provincial and Ekurhuleni crime intelligence structures.
Dimpane has also directed the national intelligence leadership to provide guidance to the task team as investigators analyse the individual cases and search for possible connections.
The investigation intensified after several female bodies were discovered around Kempton Park and neighbouring parts of Ekurhuleni over a relatively short period.
One of the victims was 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, whose family confirmed her identity after she disappeared while out for a run in the Rhodesfield area.
Police have subsequently confirmed that the number of female bodies under investigation has risen to eight.
The geographical proximity and timing of some of the discoveries have prompted investigators to examine potential connections, but authorities have not confirmed that the same offender or group is responsible.
SAPS offers R400,000 reward for information
SAPS has offered a R400,000 reward for information that could assist investigators in making a breakthrough in the cases.
Dimpane appealed to residents and families in and around Kempton Park to report missing relatives or provide information about women whose whereabouts cannot currently be established.
Identifying the women whose bodies remain unidentified could be particularly important to the investigation because it would allow detectives to establish their backgrounds, movements, relationships and last known whereabouts.
Police have also appealed for information beyond what investigators already have as the multidisciplinary team continues examining the cases.
Police increase visibility in Kempton Park
The investigation is being accompanied by increased policing operations in Kempton Park and surrounding areas.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said SAPS would significantly increase its visibility through Operation Shanela, with additional law-enforcement resources expected in the area.
Cachalia said the heightened deployment would involve working with communities while police continue investigating the deaths.
The move comes amid heightened anxiety among residents and running communities following Moselakgomo’s death and the discovery of other bodies in the region.
No confirmation of a serial killer
Despite the number of deaths and their geographical proximity, authorities have not confirmed that a serial killer is responsible.
Police are instead investigating multiple possibilities, including whether the cases are connected and whether more than one person could be involved.
That distinction is important while forensic examinations, intelligence gathering and other investigative processes continue.
For now, the confirmed developments are that one suspect has been arrested in connection with one of the deaths, another person has been identified as a person of interest, and a specialised team is investigating the broader series of cases.
The R400,000 reward is intended to generate additional information that could help detectives establish what happened to the victims and determine whether there is a common link between the cases.
