“So Heartbreaking”: Runners Honour Kempton Park Murder Victim With Early Morning Run, SA Moved

• A group of Gauteng runners took to the streets in the early morning hours to demand an end to gender-based violence in Ekurhuleni
• The monochrome video highlighted on-screen messages honouring women whose bodies were recently discovered across the area
• South Africans watching the footage were left heartbroken, saying women deserve to feel safe in their own country

A group of community runners in Gauteng took to the streets before dawn on 15 September 2026, turning their early morning run into a protest against gender-based violence following the discovery of women's bodies across Ekurhuleni.

The video, shared by @botlhaleboikanyo on Instagram, was filmed in stark monochrome, showing runners moving together under streetlights. On-screen messages carried an urgent plea: that enough bodies had gone missing, enough had been violated, and enough had died.

Kempton Park murders spark community action

The run was a direct response to a series of disturbing discoveries of women's bodies in the Ekurhuleni area, including discoveries in Kempton Park, alongside growing frustration at what many residents described as police inaction. For the women and men who laced up their running shoes that night, silence was no longer an option.

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The footage struck a nerve with South Africans across the country, many of whom said it was devastating that women could not feel safe even in their own neighbourhoods.

Watch the night run that moved South Africa to tears in the Instagram reel below:

Mzansi reacts to the GBV protest run

For many viewers, the run captured something that statistics alone never could: the exhaustion, the grief, and the refusal to look away. South Africans flooded the comments section with grief, fear, and solidarity:

@womenforchangesa wrote:

"Run and let us live 💜"

@ngcwele_nancy said:

"What if the killer is part of those running with you? I'm scared."

@nataliewera shared:

"It's so heartbreaking 💝 definitely not a way to live at all."

@nomvulabp cautioned:

"Guys, please wear reflective belts/vests or headlights to avoid accidents. You can't wear all black in the dark and expect cars to see you."

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@zoe_grobbelaar wrote:

"This made me cry. I hate what is happening so much. May God push back the darkness. 💗"

@bonti_e added:

"This is so heartbreaking 😭 💜"

3 articles about killings in the Ekurhuleni region

• A furious man confronted Kempton Park SAPS over the deaths of five local women, sparking public outrage as he called out police inaction and demanded answers amid rising serial killer fears.
• Briefly News reported that Kempton Park residents picketed outside their local police station to demand justice and protection after five women were murdered in the area within two months.
• Coolstorybru sparked widespread online panic after questioning the suspicious timing of a sixth woman's body found in Ekurhuleni, prompting internet users to draw terrifying parallels to the infamous serial killer Moses Sithole.

Source: Briefly News