South African police are racing to crack the killings of at least eight women whose bodies have been found east of Johannesburg in two months, the latest on Tuesday.
The country has one of the world's highest homicide rates but the discovery of the women's bodies, partially naked and battered, has sparked fresh anxiety and raised fears that a serial killer or group of killers may be operating in the area.
Police said six bodies were recovered in the Ekurhuleni municipality in just one week, with only two of the victims identified so far.
It remained unclear whether the killings were carried out by a single perpetrator, multiple suspects or copycat criminals, police said.
"The challenge is ahead of us and the deaths of these young women must not be in vain," acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia told reporters after a meeting to discuss the killings.
"We live in a society that is violent, there's a lot of aggression and I hope that we will come to a day when the women of our society are safe," he said, calling it "a terrible scourge".
Gender-based violence is endemic in South Africa, where one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence during her lifetime, according to the United Nations, despite years of government pledges to tackle it.
One of the victims, 38-year-old Elizabeth Moselakgomo, left her eight-year-old daughter at home to go for a jog and never returned. Her body was found on September 12 behind a hotel, police said.
{{/usCountry}}One of the victims, 38-year-old Elizabeth Moselakgomo, left her eight-year-old daughter at home to go for a jog and never returned. Her body was found on September 12 behind a hotel, police said.
{{/usCountry}}Her disappearance drew public attention after fellow runners launched a social media campaign to find her, bringing renewed focus to earlier cases and, later, to the discovery of more bodies.
The first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found naked and bound with cable ties on July 15, police said. A suspect was arrested two days later.
A second woman, 32, was found partially clothed on August 24, while a third was discovered naked and in an advanced state of decomposition on September 10.
- 'No stone unturned' -
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday said "no stone will be left unturned" to solve the killings, acknowledging "these incidents are causing fear and uncertainty in our communities, and especially among women".
The killings have drawn condemnation from civil society and sporting bodies as calls grow for action on gender-based violence, which South Africa has declared a national emergency.
Amnesty International South Africa said the discovery of the bodies was "just another horrific reminder that women in South Africa are not safe".
South Africa, a nation of 62 million people, has some of the highest rates of violence against women and children in the world, according to UN Women.
At least 60 people are killed each day in South Africa, many linked to turf battles between gangs involved in drugs and illegal mining.
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