The South African Police Service (SAPS) has said it is intensifying investigations after the body of 38‑year‑old Dineo Evelyn Motapane was found on the side of the road in KwaThema, Springs. The discovery follows the identification of eight other bodies in the Ekurhuleni area over the past two months, bringing the total to nine.
Family identification and police response
SAPS said Motapane was positively identified by her family at the Springs Mortuary on Wednesday afternoon. According to her relatives, she was last seen alive the previous Sunday and had not been reported missing when her body was discovered.
The Acting National Commissioner, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, expressed condolences to the Motapane family and reaffirmed that police resources remain deployed in the area as detectives work to establish the circumstances of each case and identify those responsible.
- Victim identified: Dineo Evelyn Motapane, 38, identified at Springs Mortuary
- Discovery: Body found on the side of the road in KwaThema, Springs
- Cluster: Ninth body discovered in Ekurhuleni over two months
Multidisciplinary investigations
Police said a "multidisciplinary team of investigators and specialists" is working around the clock on the cases. The statement added the effort aims to establish circumstances surrounding each death, identify suspects and ensure perpetrators are brought before the courts.
Details of the investigative steps, forensic findings or arrests related to the nine deaths were not provided in the SAPS statement released with the announcement of Dimpane's condolences.
National leadership responds
President Cyril Ramaphosa extended his sympathies to the bereaved families and described the killings as having "disturbed our nation and brought fear and uncertainty into our communities." He vowed that the State is acting urgently to solve the cases and to restore security.
"We mourn with you. Your loss is our loss. These killings have disturbed our nation and brought fear and uncertainty into our communities. No community should have to live with such fear. No woman should have to wonder whether she will be the next victim."
According to the presidential remarks included in the police statement, Ramaphosa directed that "no stone be left unturned" in bringing those responsible to justice and said that SAPS, together with other State bodies, has dedicated personnel and resources to the investigations.
Context and potential consequences
The emergence of a string of deaths in Ekurhuleni over a relatively short period has attracted national attention because of the number of victims and the fear such cases generate in communities. The deployment of specialised investigative teams signals a national escalation in the policing response, but the statement does not indicate whether the cases are being treated as linked or whether a single suspect or group is being sought.
Key unresolved questions that will shape the next phase of the criminal justice response include:
- Whether forensic evidence or witness accounts point to a common perpetrator or pattern across the incidents;
- If arrests or charges will follow as the multidisciplinary inquiries progress;
- How crime‑prevention and community safety measures will be bolstered in Ekurhuleni to address local fear and restore public confidence.
The police statement also noted a separate discovery on Thursday morning in Dawn Park, Boksburg, where the body of the ninth woman was found. Beyond those location details, SAPS did not disclose further information about the victims' identities, causes of death or forensic timelines in the public statement accompanying Dimpane's condolences.
As the investigations continue, SAPS has asked anyone with information about the incidents to make contact with detectives handling the matters. Charges, arrests and court processes will be reported as they occur and once confirmed by the police or prosecuting authorities.
