Community protest in Kempton Park as fear rises over series of killings
Hundreds of runners gathered in Kempton Park on Saturday morning to protest the recent string of murders in the district, organisers and local participants said, covering a 13‑kilometre route to honour victims and call for urgent police action.
The run followed the discovery earlier this month of the body of 38‑year‑old Elizabeth Moselakgomo, a mother who was last seen on 9 September when she left home to go running and whose body was found three days later. According to reporting in IOL, Moselakgomo leaves behind an eight‑year‑old daughter.
The gathering came amid alarm that nine women were killed in the area east of Johannesburg between 15 July and mid‑September. The rising toll has prompted public demonstrations from Kempton Park to other cities and renewed calls for a thorough and rapid police response.
"We shouldn't be looking at our back. We should be protected at all times. We want to reclaim our streets," said 47‑year‑old runner Hlompho Matji, who lives in the same neighbourhood as the latest victim, according to IOL.
Other runners at the protest told reporters they were running out of fear as well as solidarity. "The whole of last week I didn't run... We are scared," Matji was quoted as saying. Busisiwe Pakati, a 53‑year‑old software engineer and seasoned runner, said: "It has to stop because they are taking away our freedom, they are taking away our confidence now," IOL reported.
Police Minister Firoz Cachalia told the media that preliminary investigations have not conclusively established the presence of a serial killer in Ekurhuleni but that authorities were not ruling anything out, The Citizen reported. Cachalia said three people had been brought in for questioning and that investigators were examining whether the cases were linked.
Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga said that of the nine bodies, seven families had been informed and one victim remained unidentifed, The Citizen reported. She urged residents to keep in constant contact with female relatives and to report anyone missing urgently.
- 13 km — distance run during Saturday's protest in Kempton Park.
- Nine — number of women killed in the district between 15 July and mid‑September, according to reporting.
- Three — people reportedly brought in for questioning by police, according to The Citizen.
Police response and community concerns
Cachalia said both human and financial resources were being deployed to respond to the crisis, and that Lieutenant‑General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was leading a national task team to investigate organised and violent crime in the city, The Citizen reported. Investigators have reportedly found that some victims were not killed where their bodies were discovered, and have said there are indications of differing modus operandi and motives across the cases.
Residents at Saturday's run pressed for visible policing, better protection for women who exercise outdoors and faster forensic work to bring perpetrators to justice. Mkhuleko Tshabalala, a 50‑year‑old financial adviser who joined the event, was among the men who turned out to support attendees and families affected by the deaths, IOL reported.
National and local statistics on gender‑based violence underline the scale of the problem: the United Nations estimates that one in three women in South Africa experiences physical or sexual violence during her lifetime, and the South African government has described gender‑based violence as a national disaster.
| Item | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Women killed in district (15 Jul–mid‑Sep) | 9 |
| People questioned | 3 |
| Families informed | 7 |
| Unidentified victims | 1 |
Organisers of the run said they intended the protest to be a peaceful but visible reminder to authorities and the wider community that residents want safer streets. The event drew a broad cross‑section of the area: local running clubs, neighbours and family members of the victims, and men who came to show solidarity.
Both IOL and The Citizen described the developments as part of an evolving story. Police enquiries and forensic investigations are ongoing, and residents have been urged to report information to SAPS through the appropriate channels.
The protest in Kempton Park highlighted the local toll of a national problem: ordinary residents demanding tangible action from law enforcement and government to stop more lives being lost.
