Public urged to assist in identifying dead women found ‘dumped’

Police are asking members of the public who have opened missing persons cases to approach the Olifantsfontein police station or nearby stations to assist with identification after the discovery of a woman’s body .

The body was discovered on the side of the road by a passerby on his way to work in Olifantsfontein on Monday morning. The woman’s body was partially naked, bruised and appeared to have been dumped there.

The discovery of the body comes as police hunt for those responsible for the murders of four women whose bodies were found in the vicinity of Kempton Park.

Speaking about the active crime scene where the fifth body was discovered, national police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe Mathe said the incident occurred between Sunday night and the early hours on Monday, adding the body appeared to have been dumped.

While she confirmed striking similarities between the five bodies discovered, including that they were found partially naked, she cautioned against prematurely labelling the deaths as the work of a serial killer. She said investigators will be guided by a team of seasoned detectives brought together to establish whether the killings are connected, identify those responsible and ensure they face the full might of the law.

“We are urging those with missing friends and family members to approach the nearest police station to help us solve the identities of the women,” Mathe said.

The family of Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, a 38-year-old runner from Kempton Park who went missing after leaving her Rhodesfield home for an afternoon jog, is expected to visit the mortuary to establish whether the body discovered over the weekend is hers.