Sources and method
An automated pipeline collects public news reports and government statements about the case, extracts every factual claim with the sentence that supports it, and reconciles the claims into one record per victim. Where outlets disagree, the disagreement is kept and shown, not settled by the software. The site is maintained by an anonymous moderator.
How confidence works
Sources are tiered: 1 official (SAPS via gov.za, NPA, government), 2 on-the-ground reporting and wire copy, 3 rewrites and international coverage. A value is confirmed when a tier-1 source states it or two independent tier-2 sources agree. Wire copy syndicated to many outlets counts once.
What is deliberately left out
- Suspects' names, unless a source reports they were named in court.
- Victims' names not published by police or family.
- Any location more precise than the suburb where a victim was found.
- Social-media tips, sightings and accusations. Only outlets and official statements are sources.
Outlets used (99 articles on topic)
| Outlet | Tier | Articles |
|---|---|---|
| citizen.co.za | 2 | 38 |
| gov.za | 1 | 14 |
| dailymaverick.co.za | 2 | 11 |
| sabcnews.com | 2 | 7 |
| iol.co.za | 2 | 4 |
| witness.co.za | 3 | 4 |
| joburgetc.com | 3 | 3 |
| thesouthafrican.com | 3 | 3 |
| aljazeera.com | 3 | 2 |
| bbc.com | 3 | 2 |
| soapoperaspy.com | 3 | 2 |
| timeslive.co.za | 2 | 2 |
| arrivealive.co.za | 3 | 1 |
| briefly.co.za | 3 | 1 |
| capetimes.co.za | 3 | 1 |
| capetownetc.com | 3 | 1 |
| cbsnews.com | 3 | 1 |
| channelafrica.co.za | 3 | 1 |
| courthousenews.com | 3 | 1 |
| newsday.com | 3 | 1 |
| novanews.co.za | 3 | 1 |
| polity.org.za | 3 | 1 |
| surgezirc.co.za | 3 | 1 |
| theguardian.com | 3 | 1 |
How the published tally moved
| Date | Count | Of what | Attributed to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | women's bodies discovered in the Kempton Park area | Acting Gauteng Provincial Commissioner, Major General Fred Kekana / SAPS | arrivealive.co.za | |
| 2026-09-12 | 5 | bodies of women discovered in the same area (Kempton Park, particularly Rhodesfield) over a period of approximately two months | South African Police Service (Saps) | citizen.co.za |
| 2026-09-12 | 4 | women's bodies found since 15 July in Kempton Park | Police statement on Saturday | theguardian.com |
| 2026-09-14 | 5 | women's bodies discovered in and around Kempton Park, specifically the Rhodesfield area, over about two months | South African Police Service (SAPS) | polity.org.za |
| 2026-09-14 | 4 | women whose bodies were found in the vicinity of Kempton Park over about two months, prior to the latest discovery | police (in their earlier public warning) | witness.co.za |
| 2026-09-14 | 5 | previous cases in and around Kempton Park over the past two months in which female victims were found partially clothed or naked with visible bruising | citizen.co.za | |
| 2026-09-14 | 4 | bodies of women found in the same area of Kempton Park (Rhodesfield vicinity) over approximately two months | South African Police Service (SAPS) | gov.za |
| 2026-09-14 | 5 | women found dead around Kempton Park | citizen.co.za | |
| 2026-09-14 | 4 | women's bodies found around Kempton Park over two months (separate discoveries under intensified investigation) | sabcnews.com | |
| 2026-09-14 | 5 | total bodies found in the Kempton Park area after another female body was found Monday | sabcnews.com | |
| 2026-09-14 | 3 | women's bodies found in the broader Kempton Park area in the last week | dailymaverick.co.za | |
| 2026-09-14 | 5 | women found dead in Kempton Park and the adjacent area since July 2026 | dailymaverick.co.za | |
| 2026-09-14 | 4 | women's bodies discovered in Kempton Park (tally in the SAPS statement issued before the fifth body was found) | SAPS | dailymaverick.co.za |
| 2026-09-14 | 5 | women found dead in the same area within two months (Sonke Gender Justice framing) | Sonke Gender Justice | dailymaverick.co.za |
| 2026-09-15 | 2 | bodies of the five in Kempton Park not yet identified | Police / Deputy National Police Commissioner Tebello Mosikili | sabcnews.com |
| 2026-09-15 | 5 | women found dead in the City of Ekurhuleni in two months | witness.co.za | |
| 2026-09-15 | 3 | women's bodies previously discovered in the Kempton Park area (before the Rhodesfield and Olifantsfontein bodies) | witness.co.za | |
| 2026-09-15 | 5 | other women found dead in the same vicinity in Kempton Park | Brigadier Athlenda Mathe | citizen.co.za |
| 2026-09-15 | 12 | months since the last body of a woman was found in the area, per a station commander | Brigadier Athlenda Mathe citing a station commander | citizen.co.za |
| 2026-09-15 | 7 | bodies linked to the string of killings in Ekurhuleni under investigation | South African Police Service / Major General Fred Kekana | citizen.co.za |
| 2026-09-15 | 8 | women whose bodies have recently been discovered in the Kempton Park area, being investigated by the specialist team | SA Police Service (SAPS) | dailymaverick.co.za |
| 2026-09-16 | 7 | additional women found dead in Ekurhuleni since the first body in July | dailymaverick.co.za | |
| 2026-09-16 | 8 | women found dead in Ekurhuleni since July | Acting police minister Firoz Cachalia | joburgetc.com |
| 2026-09-16 | 5 | women found around Kempton Park | Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, deputy national police commissioner | joburgetc.com |
| 2026-09-16 | 8 | bodies of women discovered across Ekurhuleni between July and September 2026 | Gauteng police / Acting police minister Firoz Cachalia | joburgetc.com |
| 2026-09-17 | 9 | bodies discovered in two months (deaths of women in Ekurhuleni) | Gauteng Community Safety media statement | gov.za |
| 2026-09-17 | 4 | women whose bodies were found in Kempton Park between July and September, the initial focus of the investigation | capetownetc.com | |
| 2026-09-17 | 9 | women's bodies found on the outskirts of Johannesburg / in the Kempton Park–Ekurhuleni area | Police | aljazeera.com |
| 2026-09-17 | 3 | partially naked bodies found in the area this week | aljazeera.com | |
| 2026-09-17 | 5 | bodies discovered in or near Kempton Park (the first five) | aljazeera.com | |
| 2026-09-17 | 9 | bodies of women discovered in Ekurhuleni in two months (since July 2026) | Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, Gauteng police spokesperson | dailymaverick.co.za |
| 2026-09-17 | 6 | areas where the bodies have been found (Kempton Park, Rhodesfield, Olifantsfontein, Clayville, Springs, Dawn Park) | dailymaverick.co.za | |
| 2026-09-18 | 9 | victims in the Ekurhuleni murder spree (Nkomo described as the ninth) | article headline | citizen.co.za |
| 2026-09-18 | 5 | women found dead in Gauteng (in an image caption about Elizabeth Moselakgomo) | iol.co.za | |
| 2026-09-19 | 9 | bodies of women found in Ekurhuleni municipality over the past two months | aljazeera.com | |
| 2026-09-19 | 5 | first bodies found in the Kempton Park area | aljazeera.com | |
| 2026-09-20 | 9 | women whose bodies were discovered in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng | Inter-Ministerial Committee on GBVF | gov.za |
| 2026-09-20 | 10 | bodies discovered in Gauteng in recent months (including the Moroka, Soweto body) | citizen.co.za | |
| 2026-09-20 | 9 | cases involving women found dead across the Ekurhuleni metro since July, identified by government | government | thesouthafrican.com |
| 2026-09-26 | 10 | women reported found dead in the Ekurhuleni area | the information available at the time of publication | surgezirc.co.za |
| 2026-09-26 | 9 | bodies discovered in Ekurhuleni (recent tragedies) | article, in context of Cachalia's oversight visit | citizen.co.za |
| 2026-09-26 | 10 | women whose bodies have been found in Ekurhuleni in recent weeks | witness.co.za | |
| 2026-09-27 | 11 | women's bodies found in Ekurhuleni since July 2026 | citizen.co.za | |
| 2026-09-27 | 10 | women found dead across Ekurhuleni | soapoperaspy.com | |
| 2026-09-27 | 5 | victims found in the Kempton Park area | soapoperaspy.com | |
| 2026-09-27 | 11 | victims in the Ekurhuleni series (the 10th and 11th bodies found at the weekend) | dailymaverick.co.za | |
| 2026-09-28 | 10 | female bodies found in the region (Ekurhuleni), including the Tembisa cemetery discovery | citizen.co.za | |
| 2026-09-28 | 11 | total female victims recently found in the Ekurhuleni area | South African police | newsday.com |
| 2026-09-28 | 3 | bodies of women found in July and August within about 7 kilometers of one another in Ekurhuleni municipality | newsday.com | |
| 2026-09-28 | 6 | bodies discovered in Ekurhuleni over 10 days earlier in September 2026 | newsday.com | |
| 2026-09-28 | 2 | women who appeared in court in relation to the killing of one of the Ekurhuleni victims | newsday.com | |
| 2026-09-28 | 12 | women whose bodies have been found in the Ekurhuleni area (this death being the 12th) | police | joburgetc.com |
| 2026-09-28 | 11 | women's bodies discovered in Ekurhuleni | iol.co.za | |
| 2026-09-28 | 10 | women previously reported found dead in Ekurhuleni municipality | soapoperaspy.com | |
| 2026-09-28 | 11 | women found dead in Ekurhuleni municipality | soapoperaspy.com | |
| 2026-09-28 | 2 | women's bodies found in Ekurhuleni this weekend | citizen.co.za | |
| 2026-09-28 | 11 | women's bodies found in the Ekurhuleni area | Police (unnamed), confirmed Monday | briefly.co.za |
| 2026-09-28 | 3 | additional bodies of women found in one area east of Johannesburg between Saturday and Monday morning | local police | bbc.com |
| 2026-09-28 | 12 | total bodies found in the area east of Johannesburg (Ekurhuleni) in just two months | bbc.com |