LGBTQ+ activists and leaders in South Africa have reacted with outrage to the revelation that at least nine women have been brutally assaulted and murdered in Ekurhuleni.
Authorities discovered the naked or partially naked bodies of the women between July and September in the Gauteng metro, east of Johannesburg, sparking fears that they may have been victims of a serial killer.
Investigators believe the women were strangled to death and may have been sexually assaulted. The murders have appalled South Africans.
One of the victims has been publicly identified as mall manager and avid runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38. She disappeared after going out for a run on 9 September and is survived by an eight-year-old daughter who reported her missing.
Another victim, Dineo Evelyn Motapane, 38, has also since been identified by her family. She was last seen on Sunday.
A R400,000 reward has been offered to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest of those responsible.
Murders Come Amid South Africa’s GBVF Crisis
The murders come despite continued pledges by authorities to fight gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), and after the government officially declared the scourge “as a national disaster” in November 2025.
In a statement, queer rights group the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW) said it was “devastated and enraged” by the brutal killings.
“Every woman murdered is a life violently taken, a family devastated, and a community pushed further into fear. These killings cannot be dismissed as isolated acts of crime. They take place within a society where violence against women, particularly Black lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer women, is deeply entrenched and too often met with silence, indifference and impunity,” said the group.
FEW noted that it has documented and responded to cases involving lesbian, bisexual and queer women who have experienced violence, discrimination, hate crimes and exclusion for more than two decades.
“We know the fear of constantly having to assess whether a place, a journey or a person is safe. We know what it means when women cannot walk, run, travel, work, love or simply exist in public spaces without calculating the possibility of violence.”
‘We Are Not Disposable’
The organisation expressed that women are not responsible for preventing violence committed against them.
“The responsibility lies with those who perpetrate violence and with the institutions that repeatedly fail to prevent it, investigate it and deliver justice.”
FEW added: “We are not disposable. Our lives matter. Our freedom matters. Our safety matters.”
The Vaal-based Lebo Basadi Foundation also expressed its solidarity with the Ekurhuleni community, stating that “This is not an isolated tragedy. This is femicide – rooted in patriarchy and the continued devaluation of womxn, queer, trans and gender-diverse bodies.”
Deputy Minister Calls for Answers and Justice
Mmapaseka “Steve” Letsike, South Africa’s Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, expressed her condolences to the families who have lost loved ones.
“They deserve answers, justice and the full support of the state. This level of violence against women and other vulnerable people is an attack on our democracy,” said Letsike in a Facebook post.
“Prevention must be at the heart of this work. The measure of our response cannot be how effectively we teach women to avoid danger; it must be how effectively the state and society remove that danger and make every community safe for everyone.”
She asserted: “We will not surrender the streets, our homes, public places to thugs and criminals.”
Note: This article was updated on 17 September 2026 to reflect the discovery of a ninth victim.
