Ten murdered women have been found around Johannesburg in the past two months. There is no clarification yet. Local women demand justice and classify the murders as part of a structural problem with femicide and patriarchal violence.

Since July, i.e. within the last two months, in the metropolitan municipality of Ekurhuleni, which borders South Africa's largest city Johannesburg to the east,nine women's bodies found. The first woman was found on July 15, half naked and bound with cables. The other bodies found in the following weeks had similar characteristics. There are clear traces of sexual violence in eight of the nine women found so far. The victims are between 20 and 40 years old and almost all have now been identified.

Last Sunday there was a...tenth body murder victimfound. This time in Soweto, which is west of Johannesburg. In recent weeks, the series of murders has gained attention in South Africa itself and internationally.

Uncertainty about police investigations

So far it seemsSouth African policeto grope in the dark, or at least to pass on little information to the outside world. Initially, a man was arrested who may have been connected to one of the first victims. However, he was released again after a few weeks because the time limit for pre-trial detention had expired without sufficient evidence being provided.

Two women were recently arrested and are also accused of having something to do with the death of one of the women. The police spoke of a possible relationship conflict as the basis for the murder.

However, there is no further information available yet; it is clear that the police do not seem to have any answers to the series of murders. It is also unclear to what extent the murders are connected to each other. While a criminologist from clearSigns of a serial killerspeaks, arguespoliceEvidence linking the murders. Meanwhile, the investigating authorities are offering a reward of 400,000 rand - the equivalent of around 20,000 euros - for information about possible perpetrators.

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South Africa: Femicides are increasing

South Africa is one of the countries with the highest murder and femicide rates. Femicides are murders in which women are killed because of their gender. Most of the time, the perpetrators are from the women's immediate environment - husbands, partners, ex-partners, fathers, brothers, other family members or friends. Femicides are often preceded by a spiral of various forms of violence, which then culminates in the murder of the women.

According to official statistics from the police there, in South Africa within a year between March 2023 and 2024at least 5,578 women murdered. After that, there are hardly any official statistics. The problem has been known for so long that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in 2020 during the corona pandemic of “another pandemic“that rages in our country”. In 2025, gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa were declared a national disaster.

Patriarchal violence and femicides happen all over the world, in all countries. In some places, however, it is particularly high. These are often states or regions where many people live in poverty, living conditions are difficult and patriarchal role models are strong. In addition, most violent crimes against women are hardly prosecuted by the justice system and therefore do not result in any consequences for the perpetrators. This in turn leads to women having no trust in the justice system and therefore acts of violence are not even reported.

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Protests after new wave of femicides

Due to the current series of murders, the authorities asked women to be vigilant, not to travel alone if possible, and preferably not to leave their home alone, especially in the evening or at night. This led to greater outrage and anger among many women. Anger that the answer to the murders again seems to be that women should withdraw even more from public life instead of combating patriarchal violence more effectively.

In the past few days there have been several protests and funeral marches in the affected region. The murdered women were remembered and justice was demanded for them. But above all, women took to the streets to express their anger about the conditions in which they have to live every day. That you can be as vigilant as possible, but that will never effectively protect you from becoming a victim of patriarchal violence yourself. What is required are actual consequences for perpetrators, protective facilities for women, and that in general the fight against patriarchal violence does not remain just lip service.

The authorities' recommendation that women...don't walk aloneor go jogging. One of the murdered women was an enthusiastic jogger and was murdered during one of her runs. At a protest that groups of runners had called for, a protester explainedNPR: "Gender-based violence, and especially femicide, is such a big problem in South Africa. As a woman you can't do anything alone. If you jog you can get murdered, if you go to the post office you can get murdered, at home you can get murdered. It makes me angry that I can't move freely, my whole country feels like a prison."

The postSeries of murders in South Africa: Ten dead women and the demand for justiceappeared firstperspective.