South Africa: Olifantsfontein residents hold vigil for woman found dead

Residents of Olifantsfontein gathered to remember a woman whose body was found floating in a river in Clayville, east of Johannesburg, as communities across the area demand action over a series of killings of women.

Residents convoyed from a police station to the site near the Mall of Thembisa, where the woman, believed to have been in her late 20s, was found in the river on Sept. 7. Her identity has not been released.

At the site, residents prayed, sang hymns and lit candles in her memory. They called on the government and police to work harder to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

The woman’s death was later added to a wider investigation into the deaths of women whose bodies have been found in and around Ekurhuleni over the past two months.

Police are investigating whether the cases are connected. The discoveries have raised fears of a possible serial killer, although authorities have cautioned that they have not established that a single perpetrator is responsible.

The investigation has since expanded to include nine women, with bodies found in areas including Kempton Park, Clayville, Olifantsfontein, Rhodesfield, KwaThema and Dawn Park.

A specialised multidisciplinary team has been established to investigate the cases, while police have appealed to families with missing relatives to come forward to assist with identifying the victims.

For residents who gathered at the river, the vigil was both a memorial and a demand for answers as fears continue to grow over the safety of women in the area.