"Legend": SA Criminal Psychologist Gerard Labuschagne Analyses Ekurhuleni Deaths, SA Split

• Criminal psychologist Dr Gerard Labuschagne weighed in on the string of murders in Ekurhuleni, Kempton Park
• Labuschagne, who helped convict notorious killers including Jack Mogale and Thabo Bester, stopped short of using the term serial killer
• The forensic expert said he was confident a task team was handling the cases correctly as women continued to be killed at an alarming rate

South Africa's most recognised criminal psychologist has broken his silence on the wave of killings in Ekurhuleni, and his assessment is unsettling. In an interview with ProfilerAfrica on Facebook on 15 September 2026, Dr Gerard Labuschagne shared his assessment that at least two of the Kempton Park murder cases are linked to the same suspect.

Despite public outrage, Labuschagne was careful not to declare a serial killer outright. He cited the unreliability of media reporting as his primary reason for caution, noting that he has repeatedly seen cases where publicly available information turned out to be inaccurate.

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"I would probably say it's a 75% chance at least some of these bodies are going to link; two of these bodies are going to be linked to the same suspect. But we have just to accept that we don't have all the information on the outside."

He added that the label itself was less important to him than the investigative process being followed correctly.

"I don't really care whether we call it a serial or not as long as you've got those people doing what they need to be doing."

Labuschagne also spoke to ECR's East Coast Breakfast, where he emphasised that authorities need to establish an experienced task team to establish a link between the killings using forensic evidence. Only then can they consider the possibility of a serial killer operating in Gauteng. Watch a video of his interview with Profiler TrueCrime SA below:

Dr Labuschagne helped jail SA's most dangerous killers

Labuschagne's credibility on the subject is well established. He provided critical behavioural case-linkage evidence that helped convict Jack Mogale, known as the West End Serial Killer, who was found guilty of 16 murders and multiple rapes. He also served as a key forensic psychologist during the Oscar Pistorius murder trial and led the specialised task team that tracked down Richard Nyauza, dubbed the Quarry Murderer.

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His work extended to linking the murders of Jessica Wheeler and Victoria Stadler in Knysna to Heinrich van Rooyen, and he conducted jailhouse interviews with Stewart Wilken, known as "Boetie Boer", to document his psychological profile. He also interviewed Thabo Bester, the notorious "Facebook Rapist", while Bester was in custody in 2011 and conducted forensic risk assessments that helped block Donovan Moodley's repeated parole bids.

Responses to the video split between admiration for Labuschagne and frustration with the broader reality facing women in South Africa.

Seater Purchase wrote:

"You are a legend, Gerard!"

Jacqueline du Plessis raised a broader concern:

"Whether it is a serial killer or not, fact is, women are being killed at an alarming rate and we are just not 'careful' enough."

@alidamyburgh7204 added:

"As a woman, I am conscious of being alone, but WHY does society always expect us to be the ones to be careful? We are not even able to go for a run without some victim-blaming going around. I hate it that we have no freedom to live without serious constraints."

Other Briefly News stories about the Kempton Park murders

• SAPS confirmed that several women were reported missing in Kempton Park since January, with 13 found safe, four unaccounted for, and eight found dead across Ekurhuleni.
• A viral TikTok clip posted by @lefit_chef showed locals walking through the overgrown, unmaintained roadside brush in Rhodesfield where Elizabeth "Tsontso" Moselakgomo's body was dumped.
• Content creator @doveemeatt published a detailed timeline covering the Ekurhuleni victims and highlighting the recovery of a 25-year-old woman found raped and strangled in a Pretoria West flat.

Source: Briefly News