Gauteng police assemble joint command group after 10 women’s bodies found in Ekurhuleni

Gauteng police have established a joint command group to monitor an investigation into the discovery of women’s bodies across Ekurhuleni, after another woman was found dead in Thembisa South on Saturday, 26 September 2026.

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni said the group includes senior police leadership and crime-intelligence officials. He said the team is meeting regularly to assess progress and coordinate the investigation. Mthombeni’s current position as Gauteng provincial commissioner is listed in the South African Police Service’s official provincial contact records. (sabcnews.com)

Latest discovery remains at an early stage

The latest body was found on Saturday morning in the Vusimusi section of Thembisa South, near Mooifontein Cemetery. Police said the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death were still unknown and that the investigation had only just begun. (sabcnews.com)

Speaking in Thembisa, Mthombeni said police had an experienced team of investigators and were deploying resources through what he described as a two-pronged intervention. He said investigators had made progress in one of the cases and were pursuing leads, while the newest case remained at its initial stage. (sabcnews.com)

SABC News reported that the latest discovery brings the number of women’s bodies found in Ekurhuleni over the past two months to 10. That figure is a reported count of discoveries; the available evidence does not establish that all the deaths are connected or that they were caused by the same person. (sabcnews.com)

What is known — and what is not

The police have confirmed the location of the latest discovery and the creation of a coordinated investigative structure. They have not publicly established the woman’s identity, the cause of death, whether the cases are linked, or whether a suspect has been arrested in connection with the latest case.

The developments follow heightened concern about the safety of women in parts of Gauteng. Earlier in September, Mthombeni told the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Community Safety Committee that gender-based violence and femicide had declined in the province during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, while warning that other violent-crime categories remained a concern. That broader provincial crime reporting does not, by itself, resolve the specific Ekurhuleni investigation. (gov.za)

What to watch next

• Police findings on the identity and cause of death in the Thembisa South case.
• Whether forensic evidence links the latest discovery to any of the other cases.
• Any confirmed arrests, persons of interest or court appearances.
• Further briefings from SAPS on the work of the joint command group and the status of the investigations.

For now, police are describing the latest case as active and still developing. The central unanswered question is whether the 10 discoveries form a connected pattern or represent separate investigations.

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