Body of missing runner found in South Africa: 'It is very scary'
A nationwide appeal was launched after Elizabeth Moselakgomo went missing last week. Four other women's bodies have been found nearby.
Body of missing runner found in South Africa: 'It is very scary'
South African police have confirmed the death of a jogger who disappeared during a routine run last week, prompting a nationwide appeal for help in finding her.
Elizabeth Moselakgomo’s body was identified by her relatives on Monday after it was found east of Johannesburg on Saturday. She is one of five women whose bodies have been discovered half-naked and bruised in the same area, Kempton Park.
Police said they were not connecting the deaths to a serial killer, but added that the "similarities are sufficiently concerning… to issue a public warning".
A jogger who knew Moselakgomo through their running club told the BBC that the discovery of the five bodies was "very scary".
"It's sad to know that every woman in South Africa… can't just go outside. You can't just go to the shop and buy flowers… because you are always in danger," said Keamo Sefularo.
Police have urged women in the Kempton Park area to avoid walking or running alone "particularly in isolated areas".
South Africa has some of the world’s highest levels of gender-based violence (GBV), with the rate at which women are killed five times higher than the global average, according to UN Women.
Moselakgomo’s body was found on Saturday night, badly bruised and partially clothed.
Just hours earlier on Monday, another woman’s half-naked body was found about 25km (15 miles) away.
The latest discovery was made by a passer-by who spotted the body on his way to work, police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe told reporters at the scene.
One arrest has been made in connection with the discovery of the first body. The person remains in police custody.
Police have since formed a task team to investigate the murders, but these grim discoveries and Moselakgomo’s death have sparked renewed outrage and fear among South Africans.
Tributes poured in for the avid runner, affectionately known as "Tsontso", after police confirmed her death. South Africans also shared the fear and anxiety women often feel in the country.
Lesedi Ledwaba, in a post on X, said: "Women are not free if we have to calculate where, when and with whom we can walk, run or exist safely".
Sefularo echoed this, saying Moselakgomo’s disappearance had been "heavy for the club".
The 29-year-old also asked whether Moselakgomo would "still be here if maybe she had a small community to run with [or] one or three people"?
"As we always say, when we go out for runs, there's safety in numbers," she reflected.
Sefularo described the steps she often took to stay safe while running, including avoiding the same route every day and making sure she ran in places with good visibility.
Advocacy group Women for Change said the discovery of the bodies was angering.
"What is the purpose of having a protective service like the police if we have to make sure… we are [protecting] ourselves," the group's Merlize Jogiat asked.
Jogiat largely blamed poor implementation of laws passed for the failure to curb the issue and said "pressure in numbers" from citizens could be the solution.
Moselakgomo’s family thanked the public for the support in searching for the mother of one and praised her eight-year-old daughter for raising the alarm about her disappearance.
Authorities have yet to identify the remaining bodies.