“Something Far Uglier”: Bella Monsoon Gives True Crime Take On 12 Women Found Dead in Ekurhuleni

• True crime commentator Bella Monsoon released an urgent update on 29 September 2026 tracking the growing number of women found dead across Ekurhuleni
• The public count reached 12 women discovered lifeless in the municipality since July 2026, with several victims still unidentified
• South Africans expressed alarm online, with many questioning whether multiple killers were responsible rather than a single serial offender

True crime commentator Bella Monsoon returned to social media on 29 September 2026 with a sobering update after losing her voice for a week. The subject was one she could not stay silent on: the rising number of women found dead across Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.

"The number of women we've been speaking about in Ekurhuleni has grown," she said in the Facebook video, before running through each known victim in the order they were discovered.

The victims named in Bella's update

The women publicly named in the investigation include Busisiwe Makhalangu, found in Kempton Park on 15 July; Itumeleng Kakana, found on 3 August; Nomfundo Mjobo, found on 26 August; an unidentified woman found in the Clayville River on 7 September; Gracious Nkomo and Elizabeth Morsela-Ghamo, both found in Kempton Park on 10 and 12 September respectively; Futhi Matabula, found in Olifantsfontein on 14 September; Deneo Motepane, found in KwaThema on 15 September; and Jabulile Themba, found in Dawn Park on 17 September.

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Two more victims were found in the days leading up to Bella's video. Ntombifuthi Nxumalo, 49, was found at the Mispel Cemetery in Tembisa on 26 September with severe head injuries. A 36-year-old suspect was traced to Limpopo and arrested. He appeared in the Tembisa Magistrates Court on a murder charge, with the case postponed to 6 October.

The day after, a woman believed to be around 20 years old was found partially clothed near a railway line in Strubenvale, Springs. Neck injuries pointed to possible strangulation. She remains unidentified.

A pattern more disturbing than one killer

Also on 28 September, 23-year-old Boitumelo Gift Mashita was fatally shot in Tembisa while walking to work. Investigators linked her estranged husband to the killing. Before police could question him, he was found dead in his vehicle in Midrand, with no immediate signs of foul play. A post-mortem is still pending. Police confirmed her case is not connected to the broader Ekurhuleni investigation.

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Bella concluded with a point she found particularly disturbing:

"This may not be one neat story with one offender and one motive. It may be something far uglier."

Watch Bella Monsoon's full update on Facebook.

South Africans were deeply unsettled by the video, sharing their thoughts in the comments on her Facebook page:

@Jodi-anne Stofberg said:

"There's so much hype about GBV...the real question is....if you have taken measures to protect yourself and a man attacks you...do you wait to be attacked and then strike back?"

@Elzain Rudman said:

"This all sounds more and more to me like more than one killer. Serial killers have a style, most of these women have been killed differently."

@Valerie Mills-Davies said:

"Ag so [Oh no] 😢. But we live in a lawless country and lack police/forensics."

@Mags Nieuwoudt asked:

"What is the President doing about this???"

More on murders and crime in SA

• Briefly News recently reported on Captain Louis Nel’s family seeking answers after five suspects were arrested over the murder of two SAPS crime intelligence officers.
• Three suspected cash-in-transit robbers were killed during a police shootout on Pretoria’s R80, while a fourth suspect was arrested.
• A Durban man has been found guilty of murdering his 44-year-old mother after stabbing her 26 times in 2021.

Source: Briefly News