Five women found dead in Kempton Park area of South Africa in less than two months
In the Kempton Park area of South Africa, five women have been found dead in less than two months. Police are checking whether these cases may be connected. Among those killed was 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsonzo” Moselakgomo, who went for a daytime run from home and did not return. Her body, bearing signs of a severe beating, was found in Rhodesfield, and her identity was confirmed by her family.
The alarm over the mother’s disappearance was raised by her eight-year-old daughter. These cases and questions about women’s safety are discussed in an opinion column by political communications strategist and gender-based violence activist Oliver Meth, published by TimesLIVE.
Questions for the security system
The author asks the Gauteng provincial authorities about the operation of the promised crime-fighting infrastructure. In particular, this concerns surveillance cameras, electronic panic buttons, an integrated command centre, AmaPanyaza patrol officers, drones and helicopters.
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Meth asks whether the cameras were operating and whether they covered Rhodesfield and the R21 corridor, as well as whether they could have recorded vehicles, movement or people who might help the investigation. In his view, advice telling women not to run or travel alone shifts responsibility for safety onto people who may become victims.
Statistics on the killings of women
As the columnist notes, citing South African Police Service statistics for 2023–2024, 5,578 women were killed in the country — about 15 every day. This is 33.8% more than a year earlier.
Meth also writes that ten months before the publication of the column, President Cyril Ramaphosa classified gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster. The author believes that the authorities should report on the use of funds for technology and security infrastructure, while the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide should be given powers to oversee the fulfilment of government commitments.
