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Tenth woman's body found in South Africa suburb as police probe killings
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- Police in Johannesburg have discovered the body of a woman, marking the tenth such death in recent months in the Ekurhuleni area, with similarities suggesting a possible serial killer, though authorities have not confirmed this.
- The latest victim was found in a cemetery in Tembisa, northeast of Johannesburg, and identified by a friend who had been with her the previous night; police are investigating and collecting evidence at the scene.
- Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni noted that while there are commonalities among the deaths, it is too early to definitively link this case to the others, though the shared "modus operandi" is under examination.
- South Africa faces a severe gender-based violence crisis, with one of the highest global rates of such violence; recent killings have intensified public outcry and pressure on the government, which declared gender-based violence a national disaster last year.
- Between April and June 2023, 569 women were killed and over 1,000 survived attempted murder, highlighting the ongoing severity of violence against women amid the country's high overall homicide rate.
