Missing Kempton Park runner Elizabeth Moselakgomo identified after body found

The frantic search for missing runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo ended in tragedy on Monday, with her family confirming that the body found in Kempton Park was that of the 38-year-old, amid an escalating police investigation into the deaths of five women in the area.

Moselakgomo failed to return home after going for her usual run on September 9, prompting her family and friends to launch a desperate search and circulate missing-person appeals in the hope that she would be found alive.

Her family later went to the state mortuary to identify the body. Family spokesperson Dawn Gounden said the relatives had been searching tirelessly for Moselakgomo and had hoped that their efforts would lead to her safe return.

“The past few days have been an emotional rollercoaster for the family. They had tirelessly searched for Elizabeth and circulated missing-person flyers in the hope that information would lead to her safe return,” Gounden said.

Her uncle, Lieutenant Colonel Andries Matlaila, said the family was now waiting for SAPS to complete the post-mortem and other processes before her body could be released.

Matlaila said Moselakgomo’s eight-year-old daughter was the first to alert the family that her mother had not returned home.

The family said the child was receiving psychosocial support following her mother’s disappearance and death. Moselakgomo worked as the centre manager at Festival Mall and was described by her family as a family-oriented, church-going woman who was also a choir member of the Zion Christian Church.

Her identification came as police intensified an investigation into the deaths of women whose bodies have been found in and around Kempton Park and Rhodesfield over the past two months.

National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said four women whose bodies were found in the Kempton Park/Rhodesfield area were discovered in circumstances that raised concern, including victims being found partially undressed and with visible bruising.

Police have not confirmed that the deaths are linked to a serial killer, but the similarities between some of the cases have prompted SAPS to intensify its investigation.

“While investigations are still under way and SAPS has not, at this stage, confirmed that the deaths are linked to a serial killer, the similarities are sufficiently concerning for the police to issue a public warning and intensify investigations,” Mathe said.

The latest discovery came as SAPS Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane directed a multidisciplinary team to intensify the investigation and establish whether links exist between the cases.

The team includes detectives from specialised units, including the Murder and Robbery Unit and the Investigative Psychology Unit, and is led by Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Major General Mbuso Khumalo.

Dimpane said police would pursue all available leads and act where evidence linked individuals to the crimes.