MURDER SPREE: Brother’s agonising search for Ekurhuleni killings victim Itumeleng Kekana

Itumeleng Kekana’s family searched hospitals, police stations and mortuaries for answers after the 32-year-old disappeared from Kempton Park. On 3 August, their search ended when her remains were found on Great North Road in Pomona, making her one of eight women whose bodies have been discovered in Ekurhuleni since July. Her case highlights questions around evidence collection, DNA processing and how investigators identify possible links between cases.

Itumeleng Kekana, from Mmakwane Village in QwaQwa in the Free State, went missing on 17 July 2026.

She lived and worked in Kempton Park, and according to her older brother Themba Kekana, 44, she sold beauty products at a local shop.

“On 17 July it was my birthday. The last time I spoke to her was that morning. She was excitable and cheerfully wished me a happy birthday,” he said.

The two spoke regularly, but he did not hear from his sister again for the rest of the day.

Later that day, he contacted Itumeleng’s neighbour, who told Themba that she had left the previous evening at about 7pm, saying she was going to see someone. The neighbour said Itumeleng did not say where she was going or who she intended to meet. The neighbour assumed she was meeting a client to sell beauty products.

After realising his sister was missing, Themba and other relatives travelled to Kempton Park on 19 July to search for her.

They made enquiries at police stations, hospitals and mortuaries before receiving devastating news on 3 August.

“On 3 August there was a man on the way to work. He didn’t end up going to work because he got the shock of his life when he saw her,” Themba said.

Itumeleng was the youngest of seven siblings and left behind both her parents and a 14-year-old daughter. She was laid to rest in QwaQwa on 22 August.

Themba told Daily Maverick that he saw his sister’s remains shortly after they were discovered and again at the mortuary.

Kempton Park SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Dipou Ditshego said Itumeleng’s decomposing body was found in the bushes next to the road with multiple stab wounds .

Themba says he has pleaded with investigating officers for CCTV footage from a camera near where Itumeleng’s remains were found, as he believes it could provide crucial information that could help identify Itumeleng’s killer or killers.

Itumeleng is one of the eight women whose bodies have been discovered across Ekurhuleni since July. Three of the women have so far been identified.