‘This is a war’: South Africa battles femicide as women’s bodies pile up

Police in the Ekurhuleni municipality, east of Johannesburg, are investigating a ninth female homicide discovered in about two months after a woman in her thirties was found dead on a Dawn Park street in Boksburg. Authorities have said the case is under active inquiry but have not confirmed whether the recent deaths are linked, with the South African Police Service stating investigators are exploring whether a single perpetrator, multiple offenders or copycat crimes may be involved. The police have cautioned detectives will need time to unravel the complex inquiries.

The string of killings has intensified public alarm and drawn attention from gender-rights bodies. Princess Eurika Mogane, a commissioner at the Commission for Gender Equality, described the situation as a war and said it feels as though women are being hunted. Civil society organisations including the National Shelter Movement of South Africa (NSMSA) report rising demand on helplines and shelters and say survivors are presenting with more severe forms of abuse, such as death threats, stalking, strangulation and repeated breaches of protection orders.

The case of 38-year-old runner Elizabeth Moselakgomo has been widely cited by advocates: she disappeared after leaving home for an evening run on Sept. 9 and was found dead three days later. Commentators have said the circumstances — including Moselakgomo's eight-year-old daughter alerting family when her mother did not return — underscore that many women already take multiple precautions yet remain at risk. Critics have also pushed back against official safety messaging that advises women not to walk or run alone, arguing such guidance places the burden of prevention on potential victims rather than on perpetrators or state protection.

South Africa declared gender-based violence and femicide a national disaster in November 2025, and officials have said police patrols and deployments have been increased in high-risk areas while President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged that perpetrators will face justice. Still, campaigners and service providers say more resources are needed, pointing to shortages in forensic capacity, inconsistent funding for shelters, delays in police responses and obstacles to obtaining and enforcing protection orders. The NSMSA emphasised that leaving abusive relationships often requires simultaneous access to police protection, emergency accommodation, transport, healthcare, childcare and financial support, asking whether survivors can realistically secure safety if they leave abusive situations.