South Africa’s Femicide Crisis: Nine Women Dead and a Country Demanding Answers

South Africa is once again confronting a horrifying reality: nine women have been found dead in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, over the past two months. The discoveries have sparked fear, protests and renewed anger over a problem South Africa has battled for decades: violence against women.

The bodies of nine women, aged between 20 and 38, have been discovered in different parts of Ekurhuleni since July. Several were found partially or completely undressed, and police said eight showed signs of sexual assault. Authorities are investigating whether the cases are connected, but have not confirmed that they were committed by the same person.

One of the victims was Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, a 38-year-old mother who disappeared on September 9 after leaving home for an afternoon run. Her body was found three days later. Her death became a painful symbol of the fear many South African women live with: the fear that an ordinary trip outside the home may not end with a safe return.

South Africa’s intimate-partner femicide rate was 5.5 deaths per 100,000 women in 2020–2021, according to a 2025 study tracking femicide over two decades. That was almost five times the global average. Parliament has also cited a femicide rate of about 9 per 100,000 women, describing it as roughly five times the global average. The comparison is even more striking when looking beyond killings. The World Health Organization estimates that about one in three women globally has experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner or non-partner at some point in her life. Sub-Saharan Africa is among the regions with the highest prevalence of intimate-partner violence, at about 32%.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding each death and whether there is a connection between the cases. The similarities in where some of the bodies were found and the condition of several victims have raised fears that the killings could be linked, but investigators have not publicly established that this is the case. 

Women in affected communities have been warned to remain vigilant, avoid isolated areas and take precautions when walking or running alone. But many women have responded that they are already living with these precautions every day.

The discovery of the bodies has triggered demonstrations in Ekurhuleni and renewed calls for stronger action against gender-based violence and femicide. Protesters have marched in black, held placards demanding an end to femicide and called for authorities to do more than respond after women have already been killed.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed law-enforcement agencies to investigate the deaths, while authorities have established a dedicated multidisciplinary team to examine the cases and determine whether they are connected.

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