South African police are investigating a ninth woman's body found Thursday in Kempton Park.
Why it matters: The case adds to public-safety pressure in the Johannesburg area, where police and government have already warned women to be cautious in isolated places. It also raises questions about whether the deaths involve one suspect or multiple perpetrators.
- Police said the latest body was found Thursday in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg.
- Authorities are investigating nine deaths over about two months, involving women in their 20s and 30s.
- Gauteng police said investigators are considering the possibility of multiple suspects or separate perpetrators, not just one person.
- South African officials warned women in Kempton Park and nearby Rhodesfield to avoid going out alone in isolated places.
South African police said they are investigating the death of a ninth woman after a body was found Thursday in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg, amid a string of killings over roughly two months. Al Jazeera reported that the victims were women in their 20s and 30s.
Police have not said the deaths are tied to one killer. Gauteng police commissioner Fred Kekana said investigators are considering "the possibility of multiple suspects or separate perpetrators," according to a police statement.
The warning to women in Kempton Park and nearby Rhodesfield followed the discovery of four women's bodies over about two months, the South African government said in a statement. Police said they have stepped up the probe with a multidisciplinary task team.
The killings have drawn broader concern from officials and international organizations. The United Nations in South Africa said the case underscores the need to strengthen prevention and response to gender-based violence and femicide.
By the numbers
- 9 - bodies police say they are investigating in Kempton Park.
- 4 - women's bodies the South African government said triggered the warning in Kempton Park and Rhodesfield.
- 2 months - span over which the deaths were reported.
Yes, but: Police have not confirmed that the deaths are linked to one suspect, and investigators say multiple perpetrators remain possible.
What's next: Police are continuing the investigation with a multidisciplinary task team.