Police in South Africa on Thursday found the body of another woman near the airport east of Johannesburg.
The woman’s body was found stabbed, beaten and partially naked.
The body is the ninth that has been discovered in the area in the last two months, raising fears that the killings could be connected and that a serial killer — or group of killers — might be active.
What do we know about the latest discovery of a woman’s body near Johannesburg?
The bobies were all discovered in Ekurhuleni, a municipality immediately east of Johannesburg, the country’s largest city.
Both Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg lie in Gauteng province.
Fred Kekana, the provincial police commissioner, said the woman’s body was found near a construction site by a passerby, who alerted police.
The victim, who has not been identified, appeared to be around 30 years old and had a stab wound to her side. Her throat also appeared to have been cut, Kekana said, although the cause of death has not yet been officially determined.
Previously, investigators had said similarities in the killings of the first eight victims were “sufficiently concerning for the police to issue a public warning.”
Police said the latest find early Thursday would be “added to the investigations into the deaths of women in Ekurhuleni.”
A lockdown has been put in place in Kempton Park in Ekurhuleni and police have set up roadblocks, after three of the bodies were discovered in recent days.
“We cannot continue picking up bodies,” deputy police chief Tebello Mosikili told journalists at the scene on Thursday.
Killings send shockwaves through South Africa
Mosikili said investigators look at whether the latest find is linked to the earlier murders or if a so-called copycat killer is also active.
Police have offered a reward of 400,000 rand (about $25,000 or €21,400) for information leading to an arrest.
The premier of Gauteng province, Panyaza Lesufi, said Thursday that “someone has declared war against us, and we will push back, we are not going to surrender.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa said Tuesday that “no stone will be left unturned” to solve the crimes.
“These incidents are causing fear and uncertainty in our communities, and especially among women,” Ramaphosa said.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, and gender-based violence is also endemic. The country has declared a national emergency to tackle the issue.
The UN estimates that one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence during her lifetime.
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Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
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