The identity and nationality of a man arrested in connection with the first woman’s murder in the unfolding Ekurhuleni killings investigation are now under scrutiny, with police turning to fingerprint records and government databases to establish his background.
Deputy National Commissioner for Policing Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili said authorities had received information suggesting the suspect may not be South African, but stressed that this has not been officially confirmed.
The development comes as the discovery of another woman’s body in Dawn Park, Boksburg, on Thursday brought the number of women found dead across Ekurhuleni since July to nine.
Police have yet to establish whether the cases are connected.
Fingerprints being used to establish suspect’s identity
The suspect is linked to the first death under investigation, after a 37-year-old woman was found in an open veld near the R21 in Kempton Park on 15 July 2026.
She was found naked and restrained with cable ties.
A suspect was arrested two days later and appeared in court on Wednesday, where the matter was postponed and he was remanded in custody. He remains in custody at the Modderbee Correctional Facility in Benoni.
Mosikili said investigators are now comparing the man’s fingerprints against police and correctional-services records as part of efforts to establish his identity and nationality.
The Department of Home Affairs has also been brought into the investigation.
“We cannot say yes, it’s a non-South African, but we have been informed that it’s a non-South African.”
Mosikili said officials would work with Home Affairs to determine which country the suspect may be from.
Until those checks are completed, police have not confirmed his nationality.
State Security Agency assisting with background checks
Investigators are also looking beyond the immediate murder case to establish whether the suspect may have a wider criminal history or any possible connection to other victims.
Mosikili said she had approached the State Security Agency (SSA) to assist with intelligence gathering and background checks.
The objective is to determine how far back investigators can trace the suspect and whether there is evidence connecting him to any of the other bodies recovered in Ekurhuleni.
At this stage, however, no link between the arrested man and the other deaths has been established.
That distinction remains important as investigators work to determine whether the cases form part of one pattern or represent separate incidents.
Ninth woman found dead in Dawn Park
The investigation expanded further on Thursday when the body of another woman was discovered in Dawn Park, Boksburg.
The unidentified woman, believed to be in her 30s, was found partially naked in an open area in the Villa Lisa area.
Police said preliminary information indicated that she may have been killed elsewhere before her body was dumped at the scene.
The discovery means nine women have now been found dead across Ekurhuleni since July.
The cases have occurred across several areas, including Kempton Park, Pomona, Rhodesfield, Clayville, Olifantsfontein and KwaThema.
Police are examining similarities between the cases but have not confirmed that they were committed by one person.
Elizabeth Moselakgomo among identified victims
One of the most recent victims to be identified was Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, a 38-year-old runner whose disappearance prompted widespread concern.
Moselakgomo had left her Kempton Park home for a run before she was reported missing.
Her partially clothed body was later discovered behind a hotel in Rhodesfield on 12 September, with her family subsequently identifying her.
Her death has intensified public concern about the safety of women who run, walk or travel through isolated areas.
Another victim, 38-year-old Dineo Evelyn Motapane, was found beside a road in KwaThema this week. Her family later positively identified her body at the Springs Mortuary. Police said she had last been seen alive on Sunday.
Police still investigating whether deaths are connected
The rapid succession of discoveries has prompted a high-level investigation involving national and provincial policing structures.
Authorities have not formally labelled the deaths as the work of a serial killer.
Instead, investigators are assessing multiple possibilities, including whether there is a connection between some or all of the cases and whether more than one perpetrator could be involved.
Police previously cautioned that similarities between crime scenes alone are not enough to establish that the same person committed the murders.
The investigation therefore depends on forensic evidence, intelligence, witness information, missing-person records and other evidence capable of establishing connections between individual cases.
Nationality claims must still be verified
The investigation into the arrested suspect’s nationality is likely to attract significant public attention, particularly given the broader anxiety surrounding the deaths.
However, police have expressly said the information suggesting he may be a foreign national remains unverified.
Fingerprint comparisons and Home Affairs records are expected to provide investigators with a more reliable basis for establishing his identity and nationality.
For now, the confirmed position is that the suspect remains in custody in connection with the first Kempton Park murder, while detectives and other government agencies continue investigating his background.
At the same time, the discovery of a ninth woman’s body means the wider Ekurhuleni investigation has entered an increasingly urgent phase, with authorities under pressure to determine whether the deaths are connected and identify those responsible.
