South African authorities have arrested three individuals in connection with the killing of a woman in an area east of Johannesburg — the latest in a series of nine murders that has drawn national attention to the escalating violence against women in the country.
Facing mounting public pressure to resolve the wave of killings, in which victims’ bodies have been discarded along roadsides, police described the detention of a man and two women as a significant “breakthrough” in the investigation.
Addressing reporters on all nine cases, acting police chief Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane said her officers were “working tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice”.
The three suspects are expected to appear in court on Monday morning.
Their arrest relates to the death of Jabulile Ntimba, whose half-naked body was discovered wrapped in a sheet in Dawn Park last Thursday.
Several of the recent victims were found partially clothed and bearing injuries; however, police have emphasised that they have not yet determined whether all the deaths are linked or whether a serial offender is behind the killings.
