Ninth Woman's Body Found in South Africa's Dawn Park
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Ninth woman's body found as South African police investigate string of deaths
Image source: AFP via Getty Images
Image caption: The latest body was found wrapped in a sheet on the side of the road in Dawn Park
By Nomsa Maseko, BBC Africa, reporting from Johannesburg, and Wycliffe Muia
Published 45 minutes ago
Police in South Africa have confirmed the discovery of a ninth woman's body in just two months, amid growing concern over a string of unexplained deaths east of Johannesburg.
The latest victim was found half-naked and wrapped in a sheet on the side of a road in Dawn Park on Thursday morning, police said. Her identity has not yet been released.
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Police have assembled a multidisciplinary team of detectives, intelligence officers, forensic experts and other specialists to investigate the deaths.
They are also pursuing a person of interest, although they have not disclosed which case or cases that person may be connected to.
"Let's not get emotional, the gloves are off," said Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi on Thursday, adding that the authorities had the capacity to deal with the killings.
Authorities have offered a 400,000 rand ($24,000; £18,000) reward for information that could lead to arrests and have appealed to families with missing relatives to help identify the remaining victims.
The discoveries have caused widespread alarm in Ekurhuleni, particularly around Kempton Park, and come against the backdrop of longstanding concern about high levels of violence against women in South Africa.