Eleventh Woman’s Body Found in Ekurhuleni Municipality

South African police have discovered the body of another woman in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, bringing to 11 the number of women found dead in the municipality over the past 10 weeks.

Eight of the victims have been discovered this month alone, as a series of killings raises fresh concerns over gender-based violence in a country with one of the world’s highest murder rates per capita.

Police said the latest body was found in an open area around midday on Sunday after a security company patrol alerted authorities.

“A security company vehicle patrolling the area noticed the body and alerted the police,” police spokeswoman Brigadier Brenda Muridili said.

The woman’s identity, age and cause of death had not been established as of Sunday.

The discovery came a day after the body of a semi-naked woman was found near a cemetery in the same municipality.

Provincial police chief Tommy Mthombeni said the woman appeared to have been stoned to death, although a post-mortem examination is expected to establish the cause of death.

Police said a man suspected of involvement in the killing was arrested nearly 400 kilometres (250 miles) away after leaving the area.

The arrest brings to four the number of people in police custody in connection with the killings. However, authorities have not established any links between the cases.

South Africa’s Gender-Based Violence Crisis

The other victims were mostly women in their 20s and 30s. Some were found without clothes and showed signs of sexual assault.

The latest discoveries have added to concerns about the persistent violence against women in South Africa, where gender-based violence remains widespread despite years of government commitments to address the problem and its declaration as a national disaster.

The scale of the crisis is also reflected in the number of people seeking help. South Africa’s national Gender-Based Violence Command Centre received 6,782 distress calls between September 1 and 16, an average of 424 calls daily.

The figure represents a 21 per cent increase compared with the same period in August.