- Memorial runs and protests highlight growing fear among women as authorities investigate possible links between killings
JOHANNESBURG: South Africa has been gripped by renewed anger and fear following the deaths of nine women whose bodies were discovered in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, over the past two months, prompting fresh protests and memorial events over the country’s persistent violence against women.
Police are investigating whether the killings are connected. Most of the victims were in their 20s and 30s, while some were reportedly found without clothing and showed signs of sexual assault.
The deaths have intensified national concerns over gender-based violence and femicide, with women’s rights groups calling for stronger action to improve public safety and accountability.
Memorial Run Honors Victim
A memorial run was held in Johannesburg on Saturday in memory of Elizabeth Moselakgomo, one of the victims. Moselakgomo disappeared after going for a run and was found dead several days later.
Dozens of participants dressed in black, lit candles and carried a banner bearing the message: “Enough. Stop Femicide.”
“We are here because we’ve lost a runner. But we are not safe anywhere,” said Lerato Lentsela, one of the participants.
She said women increasingly felt vulnerable in everyday situations, including while exercising, using public services, going on dates, travelling in ride-hailing vehicles and even inside their own homes.
Renewed Calls for Action
The killings have once again placed South Africa’s gender-based violence crisis at the centre of public debate. Gender-based violence was declared a national disaster in 2025, but activists say heightened public attention and official commitments have yet to translate into a greater sense of security for many women.
“Enough is enough. Our women deserve to live, walk, run and exist without fear,” the Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation, which campaigns against gender-based violence, said in a statement.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday that South Africa could not allow violence against women to become normalized. He pledged that authorities would pursue the investigations thoroughly and that no stone would be left unturned in efforts to establish what happened.
Concerns Over Policing and Accountability
The latest killings have also renewed scrutiny of South Africa’s policing and criminal justice systems, with activists pointing to concerns over corruption, limited resources and low rates of case resolution.
Merlize Jogiat of Women for Change, which organized a memorial event in Cape Town on Friday, said stronger and more effective policing was needed nationwide.
“We need to relook at our policing. The only reason these nine women were found was because there was more police presence in the area. This problem is countrywide,” she said.
Women Reject Advice That Shifts Responsibility
Some women’s rights advocates have also criticized police advice urging women to take additional precautions when exercising or travelling alone.
Women for Change said such guidance risked placing the burden of preventing violence on potential victims rather than addressing the perpetrators and strengthening public security.
“Stop placing the responsibility of our safety back onto us,” the organization said in a social media post, arguing that women should not have to restructure their daily lives around the threat of violence.
The latest deaths have intensified calls for authorities to strengthen investigations, improve policing and address the broader conditions that allow gender-based violence to persist across South Africa.
BY: The Times Union
