South Africa Faces Deepening Femicide Crisis as Women's Bodies Mount

The discovery of a ninth dead woman in South Africa’s Ekurhuleni municipality within a span of about two months has heightened concerns regarding violence against women, intensifying scrutiny on the government's handling of the femicide crisis. The latest victim was discovered on Thursday morning in Dawn Park, a residential area of Boksburg, situated east of Johannesburg. Believed to be in her thirties, the woman was found half-naked and wrapped in a sheet. Police are currently investigating the deaths, though they have not yet established a definitive connection among all nine cases.

“Estamos aún investigando si estamos tratando con un solo perpetrador o un grupo de hombres detrás de estos asesinatos de mujeres,” stated South African Police Service spokesperson Athlenda Mathe to the Reuters news agency on September 15, adding that investigators are exploring potential copycat crimes while confirming no direct links have been established yet. Mathe emphasized that the investigation is complex and cannot be rushed.

Princess Eurika Mogane, a commissioner at South Africa’s Commission for Gender Equality, told Al Jazeera that the killings reflect a broader national crisis affecting women. “This is a war. It feels like individuals are being hunted,” Mogane said. “When someone is the hunter, [the] best thing that you can do is to ensure that the prey are protected.”

The National Shelter Movement of South Africa (NSMSA) reported that its 24-hour helpline and affiliated shelters are receiving women facing increasingly severe forms of abuse, including death threats, stalking, strangulation, coercive control, and frequent violations of protection orders. In an emailed statement to Al Jazeera, the organization noted, “These are not isolated incidents. They are indicators of a broader crisis in which violence against women has become deeply normalised in many communities.”

Criticism has also been directed at police advice instructing women to avoid isolated areas and refrain from walking or running alone following the incidents. Mogane remarked, “A lot of the women in South Africa right now are saying, ‘You are basically telling us to adjust our lives to perpetrators.’” The NSMSA highlighted that women are actively altering routes, restricting movements, sharing locations, and avoiding specific travel times to remain safe. “Safety messaging should not imply that women can prevent violence simply by making different choices,” the group stated. “The responsibility for violence lies with perpetrators, while the responsibility for protection lies with society and the state.”

Among the victims was Elizabeth Moselakgomo, a 38-year-old mother and runner who disappeared after leaving her home in the Ekurhuleni municipality for her routine run around 5:30 pm on September 9. Her absence was flagged by her eight-year-old daughter, and Moselakgomo was subsequently found dead three days later on September 12. Nokukhanya Khanyile-Lenake, a specialist paediatrician and mental health advocate, noted that women already take extensive precautions against gender-based violence. She expressed shock that Moselakgomo's young daughter recognized the danger signs, adding, “And that still wasn’t enough. As women, we’ve done the maximum to the point where we’re even teaching our young children what to do, and it’s still not enough.”

The killings occur less than a year after South Africa classified gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster in November 2025. Parliament reports indicate that the nation's femicide rate is five times the global average. President Cyril Ramaphosa has committed to bringing perpetrators to justice, and authorities have increased police patrols and deployments in high-risk areas. However, Mogane questioned the tangible progress made since the national disaster declaration, pointing to ongoing shortages of forensic facilities and shelters. The NSMSA echoed these concerns, noting that shelters struggle with funding shortfalls, capacity constraints, and rising demand, while survivors frequently face slow police responses and barriers in securing protection orders. Al Jazeera sought comment from the South African government regarding its response to the crisis and the disaster classification, but received no reply prior to publication.