SAPS Arrests Boyfriend of Ekurhuleni Victim as Kempton Park Body Count Rises

• Acting National Commissioner Puleng Dimpane confirmed one arrest and identified a second person of interest linked to a body found in Ekurhuleni
• The announcement came during a high-level executive meeting attended by two cabinet ministers after eight bodies were discovered in the Kempton Park area
• SAPS offered a R400,000 reward and called on families of missing persons in the area to come forward urgently

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa's Acting National Police Commissioner, General Puleng Dimpane, confirmed on 15 September 2026 that a suspect has been arrested in connection with the death of a 37-year-old woman whose body was found in Ekurhuleni. The arrested individual is allegedly the victim's boyfriend, who was taken into custody two days after her body was discovered.

Dimpane made the announcement during a senior executive briefing held in Parktown, Gauteng, attended by Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi and Minister of Women, Children and People Living with Disabilities Sindiswe Chikunga. The meeting happened to investigate the recent killings in Kempton Park, in which the death roll recently rose to eight.

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Specialised task team established

Dimpane said SAPS assembled a team of specialised investigators shortly after signs of a potential pattern emerged. The team includes provincial crime intelligence and Ekurhuleni crime intelligence units. She also instructed the head of intelligence at the national level to provide guidance to the task team.

Regarding progress since July, Dimpane said one reported case was fully investigated and resulted in an arrest. A second individual has been identified as a person of interest, with detectives continuing to pursue that lead.

The briefing was prompted by a sharp escalation in discoveries. Five bodies were found in Kempton Park over a single weekend, one of whom was identified as jogger Elizabeth Moselakgomo. Three additional bodies were subsequently found, bringing the total count to eight.

R400,000 reward offered

Dimpane announced that SAPS is offering a reward of R400,000 for information that can strengthen the investigation. She urged families in and around the Kempton Park area to come forward if any relative cannot account for their whereabouts, stressing that identifying the unknown victims would allow investigators to pursue more targeted leads.

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SAPS previously stated there was no conclusive evidence pointing to a serial killer. Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, who met with the investigators handling the cases, called on police to examine whether multiple suspects may be involved, and extended his condolences to the victims' families.

Watch Acting Commissioner Dimpane's full briefing on the Kempton Park cases:

ANC condemns Ekurhuleni murders

In a related article, Briefly News reported on the ANC’s condemnation of seven women’s murders in Ekurhuleni and the police investigation into the cases. The party urged urgent action, while South Africans criticised its statement as inadequate.

Source: Briefly News