“I Think About Itumeleng Every Day”: Joseph Gumede Mourns Partner Found Dead in Kempton Park

• Joseph Gumede, the partner of Itumeleng Kekana, shared an emotional account of his search for her
• Kekana was last seen alive on 17 July 2026, and her body was found near a river along the R21 on 3 August
• Kekana, a 32-year-old tailor, is one of nine women whose bodies were found in Ekurhuleni within two months

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

GAUTENG — The partner of Itumeleng Kekana, one of nine women whose bodies were discovered in Ekurhuleni over two months, has given a grief-stricken account of the night she vanished and the moment he learned she had died.

Kekana, a 32-year-old tailor and product seller originally from QwaQwa, was last seen alive on 17 July 2026. On 3 August 2026, a commuter spotted a woman's body near a river along the R21. Her family positively identified her at the scene, with her brother describing how distressing the incident was.

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Joseph Gumede spoke to Newzroom Afrika, describing how he spent the night of 17 July 2026 trying desperately to reach Kekana by phone.

He told the interviewer that her phone rang when he called, but later it went straight to voicemail.

"I couldn't even sleep," he said.

The search for Itumeleng

Gumede also explained how he travelled to Hammanskraal, where Kekana lived near a Swazi spaza shop. A neighbour told him she had gone out the previous evening with a friend named Emily. When he tracked Emily down in the Mokgokong area, she told him Kekana had left for a stokvel gathering at half past 6:00 — something Gumede said was out of character.

Emily said she had no further information about Kekana's whereabouts or her phone. Speaking about how he felt when he realised she was dead, Gumede almost broke out in tears.

"I am in so much pain, my sister. I think about Itumeleng every single day," Gumede said during the interview.

Gumede also appealed directly to police to act decisively.

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Briefly News reported that Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga addressed South African men directly at a government memorial in Ekurhuleni.

The memorial was held to mourn nine women killed in a wave of gender-based violence within the space of two months.

Chikunga's remarks that South African men are responsible prompted fierce online pushback, with many rejecting her framing of the crisis.

Source: Briefly News