'We are hoping we don’t get more bodies': Police spokesperson says moments before discovery of sixth body
Speaking to Breakfast with Martin Bester this morning, national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed they are concerned that more bodies could potentially be discovered as investigators work to establish whether the deaths of five women in Ekurhuleni are linked.
"It's a big concern and we are hoping that we won't get more bodies. The team is on the ground," Mathe told Breakfast with Martin Bester just moments before another woman’s body was discovered in Kwa-Thema, Springs, on Tuesday morning.
This latest discovery is the sixth woman's body found in Ekurhuleni in just two months. However, police have not yet confirmed whether it is linked to any of the other murders.
Investigations into the deaths of five women
Since July, when the first body was found, investigators have identifiued similarities in some of the cases, including the circumstances in which the women were discovered.
Several of the victims were found partially clothed.
Police have not confirmed whether a serial killer is operating in the area, but a multidisciplinary team has been tasked with examining the evidence and determining whether the cases are linked.
"We've got a multidisciplinary team of experts. We've got tracking teams on the ground, we've got our criminologists who form part of our investigative psychology unit. We also have psychologists on the ground trying to study the behaviour of each case," Mathe told Breakfast with Martin Bester.
The South Africa Police Service (SAPS) has defended its response to the murders, saying the national police team was brought in to strengthen an investigation that was already under way.
A suspect was arrested within two days of the first body being discovered in July. However, concerns grew after a second and third body were found, followed by further victims in the area.
The latest discovery was made on Monday morning in Olifantsfontein, about 18 kilometres from where police had concentrated resources in Kempton Park.
Mathe said the national intervention followed the emergence of a possible pattern.
"We are not reactive. It's just that, as nationals, we then came in to support the province. Already with the first body, within two days there was an arrest, there was an alert that was issued by the local station. So when we got involved as national, is when we realised that there was a third body and a fourth body, and we said, let us come in and support the local station."
Investigations not confined only to Kempton Park
Mathe said the investigation into the deaths would not be confined to Kempton Park, considering the possibility that the perpetrator or perpetrators could be moving between areas.
"We're not confining it to Kempton Park because, as you've seen, on Sunday we deployed all resources to Kempton Park and then Monday morning, what happens? A body is found 18 kilometres from the scene, which is in Olifantsfontein.
"So it means it's either this person or this group of people, they are looking at us and now they are moving, seeing that we are now saturating Kempton Park.
"We want to obviously say the whole of Gauteng, let us be extra vigilant, let us be on lockdown, and police are deploying extra resources."
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