South Africa vigil demands justice as ninth woman's body found

Residents of Olifantsfontein, east of Johannesburg, gathered for a night vigil to remember a woman whose body was found floating in a river in Clayville, as communities across the area press authorities for answers over a string of killings of women.

Mourners convoyed from a police station to the site near the Mall of Thembisa, where the woman — believed to have been in her late 20s — was discovered in the river on September 7. Her identity has not been released. At the site, residents prayed, sang hymns and lit candles, at times holding up mobile phones with their flashlights switched on, before observing a moment of silence.

The death has since been folded into a broader investigation into the deaths of women whose bodies have been found in and around Ekurhuleni over the past two months. Police are examining whether the cases are connected, and the inquiry now covers nine women, with bodies recovered in areas including Kempton Park, Clayville, Olifantsfontein, Rhodesfield, KwaThema and Dawn Park.

The discoveries have fuelled fears of a possible serial killer, though authorities have cautioned that they have not established that a single perpetrator is responsible. A specialised multidisciplinary team has been set up to investigate the cases, and police have appealed to families with missing relatives to come forward to help identify the victims.

At the vigil, grief mixed with frustration at the pace of the response. Ashley Mabaso, a resident, questioned why the community was only informed after a fourth body was found, asking why the same urgency was not shown from the first discovery. Mabaso also called for funds to be directed towards the crisis, saying residents were tired.

Raymond Kapa, a local pastor, described the mood as painful and devastating, saying parents were now afraid to send their children even to a nearby shop because the streets no longer felt safe. He said those gathered were crying out for the women who had died and for those still living, insisting the killings must stop.

For residents who came to the river, the vigil served both as a memorial and as a demand for answers, as concern over the safety of women in the area continues to grow.