Three arrested over one of nine deaths of women in South Africa in two months

Two women and a man have been arrested in connection with one of a series of killings in South Africa which sparked outcry over violence against women in the country.

The bodies of nine women have been found in the same area in just two months - sparking a major police investigation into whether the deaths are linked.

The suspects, two women and a man, were expected to appear in court later Monday after being arrested in relation to the killing of a woman whose body was found last week in Ekurhuleni, on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

However, investigators did not link the suspects to the eight other killings.

The discoveries, all in an area east of Johannesburg, have sent shock waves through the country, and highlighted the high rate of femicide in South Africa.

All of the victims have been women aged between 20 and 38 and were found either naked or partially clothed with bruises on their bodies, South African Police Service (SAPS) said.

Police have been investigating whether the killings were connected, raising fears that a serial killer or killers might be operating in the area.

Police minister Firoz Cachalia said that so far there was no conclusive evidence the killings were carried out by a serial killer, "but nothing has yet been excluded while investigations continue".

While authorities said it is not clear if all the killings are connected, they have identified similarities in some of them, police confirmed.

As a result an alert for women in Ekurhuleni to take precautions has been issued.

The bodies of six of the victims were found in the space of 10 days this month. Four of the nine victims were discovered within around 3.5 miles (6km) of each other.

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The deaths have highlighted high rates of violent crimes in South Africa and sparked an outcry over the safety of women.

Femicide figures in South Africa are among the highest in the world, according to the United Nations' agency for gender equality.

Between April and July this year, the country recorded 5,427 murders, on average about 45 murders per day, according to the latest crime statistics.

(c) Sky News 2026: Three arrested over one of nine deaths of women in South Africa in two months