FEMICIDE CRISIS: Two in court for Ekurhuleni murder, but police yet to connect wave of killings

Police have made arrests in a case involving one of the nine murdered women in Ekurhuleni, but have shed little light on the broader killings, with two women in the dock and a male suspect released due to a lack of evidence.

Two women appeared in court on Monday, 21 September, in connection with the murder of Jabulile Ntimba, the ninth woman found dead in Ekurhuleni since July.

This comes after an unidentified woman in her twenties was found dead at Moroka Dam in Soweto on Sunday, adding to concerns over women’s safety and fears that there may be a serial killer operating in Gauteng. Police have not confirmed whether the 10 murders are connected.

At the weekend, three suspects, one man and two women, were arrested by members of the Gauteng Murder and Robbery Unit in connection with Ntimba’s murder.

Her partially clothed body was discovered in Villa Liza, Boksburg, on Thursday, 17 September. The SAPS confirmed she suffered multiple stab wounds and her throat was slit.

On Monday afternoon, 21 September, Fortunate Masilela (31) and Tsakane Nester Msithini (38) appeared in the Boksburg Magistrates’ Court on charges of premeditated murder – an offence that carries a mandatory life sentence – and defeating the ends of justice.

Their lawyer said they would apply for bail as they had no previous convictions, pending cases or protection orders against them. Both women remain in custody, with the matter postponed to 1 October for a bail application.

Following their appearance, Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili said a third suspect had been released, after the 48-hour window to charge him expired without enough evidence to link him to the case. Mosikili stated that the man remained a suspect and would be arrested if new evidence connected him to the case.

“There does appear to be an indication that her murder may have stemmed from a relationship-related matter, including what has been described as a possible love triangle,” Mosikili was reported as saying . “We are still trying to see the cases that are linked together, and we are not discounting the possibility of this.”

On Monday morning, the SAPS released the names of recent femicide victims in Ekurhuleni, excluding two discovered in Olifantsfontein. One victim, found on 7 September, remains unidentified, while the identity of the second, found on 14 September, is being withheld until her family is informed.

All nine victims were black women in their twenties or thirties; their bodies were found in Kempton Park, Rhodesfield, Olifantsfontein, Clayville, Springs and Dawn Park. The discovery on Sunday of the body in Soweto has extended the geographic scope of the cases beyond Ekurhuleni.

Five of the bodies were found near the R21 highway.