South Africa Police Arrest Three Over Ekurhuleni Woman's Killing

Police in South Africa have arrested three suspects in connection with one of a string of killings of women in Ekurhuleni, the municipality on the eastern outskirts of Johannesburg, authorities said on Monday.

The suspects — two women and a man — were taken into custody over the death of a woman whose body was found last week in the area. They were expected to appear in court later on Monday.

Investigators have not tied the three to the eight other killings, which have fuelled anger across a country with high rates of violence against women. The nine victims, all in their 20s and 30s, were killed over the past two months.

Police have been examining whether the deaths are connected, amid fears that a serial killer or killers could be at work. The bodies of six victims were found within a 10-day span this month, and four of the nine were discovered within roughly six kilometres of one another. Several were left in open areas near main roads.

Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said on Sunday that there was no conclusive evidence so far that a serial killer was responsible, "but nothing has yet been excluded while investigations continue."

Authorities have said it is not certain that all the killings are linked, though they have noted similarities in some of the cases and issued an alert urging women in Ekurhuleni to take precautions.