South African police have arrested three suspects in connection with the killing of a woman whose body was discovered last week in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg.
The suspects — two women and a man — were arrested over the weekend by members of the Gauteng Murder and Robbery Unit. They were expected to appear before the Boksburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
The case is part of a wider police investigation into the deaths of nine women whose bodies have been found in the Ekurhuleni municipality over the past two months.
The latest victim was discovered in Dawn Park, Boksburg, on September 17. Police said the discovery followed the recovery of eight other bodies in the area during the preceding two months.
The deaths have prompted concerns that the cases could be connected. However, authorities have stressed that investigators have not established a link between the suspects arrested in the latest case and the other eight killings.
Police said there are similarities in some of the cases, but the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation. South Africa’s Police Minister, Firoz Cachalia, said there was currently no conclusive evidence that a serial killer was responsible, although investigators had not ruled out any possibility.
According to police, the victims were women in their 20s and 30s. Six of the nine bodies were discovered within a 10-day period in September, while four were found within approximately six kilometres of one another.
The series of deaths has renewed concerns about violence against women in South Africa, where gender-based violence remains a major public safety issue.
The South African Police Service said all nine murder investigations were being treated as priority cases. Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane said investigators were pursuing available leads and working to identify those responsible.
Police have also urged residents with information that could assist the investigations to come forward. Authorities have advised women in Ekurhuleni to take additional precautions while investigations continue.