Eight women found dead: How to report a missing person as police say there is ‘no waiting period’

Families should report missing persons to the police immediately, regardless of their age, gender or nationality, Deputy National Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Tebello Mosikili said as investigators probe the deaths of eight women in Ekurhuleni.

Deputy national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili has stressed that there is no waiting period for reporting a missing person, following the discovery of the bodies of eight women at different locations in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.

Speaking at a media briefing in Johannesburg on Tuesday night, Mosikili urged families to report missing persons to the police immediately.

“A missing person, irrespective of the age of the victim, irrespective of the gender of the victim or nationality, we encourage the reporting immediately,” Mosikili said.

She said police have a responsibility to investigate missing-person reports and may require a recent photograph of the missing person, as well as information about their last known whereabouts, friends and places they normally visit.

“There is no timeline at all,” she said, adding that families should not be turned away when they report someone missing.

Her comments come after eight bodies were discovered at different locations across Ekurhuleni between July 15 and September 15.

- Itumeleng Kekana , 32: Originally from Qwa Qwa in the Free State and living in Kempton Park with her boyfriend, Kekana disappeared on July 17.

Her body was found near a river along the R21 on August 3, partially clothed and with bruising and injuries to her face. Her family identified her body. She was buried in QwaQwa on August 22.

- 37-year-old woman: Her body was found naked and restrained with cable ties in an open field in Kempton Park on July 15. Her partner was arrested on July 17 in connection with her murder.

- Unidentified woman, believed to be in her late 20s: Her body was found in a river in Clayville, Olifantsfontein, on September 7. She was wearing only underwear.

- Unidentified woman: Another woman's body was found in Olifantsfontein on September 7.

- Unidentified woman: Her body was found near Kempton Park on September 10, naked and in an advanced state of decomposition. Police were using forensic processes to establish her identity.

- Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38: Her remains were found partially clothed and bruised in Rhodesfield, Kempton Park, on September 12. Her family identified her on September 14.