The number of women found dead in South Africa’s Ekurhuleni municipality has risen to 11 after police discovered another body on Sunday.
Police said the latest victim was found around midday in an open field in the municipality, east of Johannesburg, after a security company vehicle on patrol alerted authorities.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the woman’s identity, age and cause of death were not immediately known.
The discovery came a day after police found the body of a semi-naked woman near a cemetery in the same municipality. Provincial police chief Tommy Mthombeni said the woman appeared to have been stoned to death, with a post-mortem examination expected to establish the cause of death.
Police said a man linked to Saturday’s killing was arrested nearly 400 kilometres away after leaving the area.
The arrest brings to four the number of people in police custody in connection with the deaths. Police have not established a link between the cases.
Eight of the 11 bodies have been discovered this month, while the other nine victims were mostly women in their 20s and 30s. Some were found without clothes and showed signs of sexual assault.
The killings have heightened concern over gender-based violence in South Africa, where the issue remains widespread despite government efforts to address it and its declaration as a national disaster.
The national GBV Command Centre recorded 6,782 distress calls between September 1 and 16, averaging 424 calls daily. The figure represented a 21 per cent increase from the same period in August.
AFP
Women found killed in South African municipality rise to 11
