Why Must South African Women Stop Jogging?
A 38-year-old woman went out for a run and never came home. Four women have now been found dead in the same broader Kempton Park area. SAPS has warned women not to walk or run alone. So why must South African women change the way they live just to feel safe?
A woman puts on her running shoes.
She leaves home.
She goes for a run.
And she is expected to come back.
For 38-year-old Elizabeth Mokolo Moselakgomo, that ordinary routine turned into a nightmare for her family.
Known as “Tsontso”, Moselakgomo left her Kempton Park home for an afternoon run on 10 September 2026.
She never returned.
Her eight-year-old daughter eventually raised the alarm when her mother failed to come home, and the family reported her missing.
Police began searching.
Then another woman’s body was found.
And suddenly, Moselakgomo’s disappearance was unfolding against an already disturbing backdrop: four women’s bodies had been discovered in the Kempton Park area over roughly two months.
SAPS is now investigating whether there are links between the deaths.
And women in the area have been warned to avoid walking or running alone.
That leaves a question that should make South Africa uncomfortable:
Why must South African women stop jogging to feel safe?
Elizabeth went for a run and never came home
Elizabeth Mokolo Moselakgomo is not simply another name in a developing crime story.
She is a 38-year-old mother whose family is waiting for answers.
According to police, Moselakgomo left her home in Kempton Park for an afternoon run on 10 September and did not return. Her eight-year-old daughter contacted relatives when her mother failed to come home that evening.
Police intensified the search, following leads and making enquiries at hospitals and mortuaries.
Her last known movements have become particularly significant because of what happened in the same area shortly afterwards.
On Saturday evening, 12 September, police discovered the body of another woman in Rhodesfield.
The discovery immediately raised fears among those searching for Moselakgomo.
But there is an important distinction:
The unidentified woman has not been officially confirmed as Elizabeth Moselakgomo.
Police have not publicly established that her disappearance is connected to the deaths of the other four women either.
Until formal identification and further investigation are completed, Moselakgomo remains officially missing.
Her family has been left waiting.
And that waiting is perhaps the most painful part of this story.
Someone went out for a run.
Someone expected her to come home.
She didn’t.
Four women have now been found dead
While the search for Moselakgomo continues, SAPS is investigating the deaths of four women whose bodies were discovered in the Kempton Park area between July and September.
The latest discovery on Saturday brought the number to four.
Police say investigators have identified concerning similarities in the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
According to preliminary information released by SAPS, the women were found partially clothed and with visible bruising, while the locations where their bodies were discovered were within the same general vicinity, particularly around Rhodesfield.
Several of the discoveries were made in bushy areas around the R21, close to the Rhodesfield area and the vicinity of OR Tambo International Airport.
Sowetan reported that fears are growing that the area could be used as a dumping ground for victims.
The proximity of the locations, combined with the similarities identified by investigators, is what has prompted SAPS to take the unusual step of issuing a public safety warning.
Is there a serial killer in Kempton Park?
This is now one of the biggest questions being asked across South Africa.
But the answer, at this stage, is:
SAPS has not confirmed it.
Police are investigating whether the four deaths are connected, but Acting Gauteng Police Commissioner Major-General Fred Kekana has said it is too early to conclude that the cases are linked or that they are the work of a single perpetrator.
That distinction matters.
There are four confirmed deaths.
There are disturbing similarities.
There is an active investigation.
There is a public warning from SAPS.
But there is not yet an official finding that a serial killer is responsible.
The investigation therefore has two jobs: determine what happened to each woman and establish whether there is a connection between the cases.
If there is a common perpetrator, investigators need to find them.
If the cases are unrelated, that also needs to be established.
Either way, families deserve answers.
Why did SAPS warn women not to run alone?
This is perhaps the most important development for the public.
SAPS has specifically warned women in and around Kempton Park, particularly in Rhodesfield, to exercise extreme caution.
Police have advised women to:
- avoid walking or running alone;
- stay away from isolated and secluded areas;
- remain vigilant;
- travel or exercise in groups where possible.
That warning came because of the similarities investigators have identified between the deaths.
In other words, this is not simply social-media speculation.
The police themselves are concerned enough to tell women to change their behaviour.
And that is precisely why the question of women’s freedom becomes unavoidable.
A woman should be able to go for a run
There is nothing unusual about jogging.
People run before work.
They run after work.
They run to clear their heads.
They run for their health.
They run because it gives them an hour to themselves.
For women, however, an ordinary run can involve a checklist that has nothing to do with exercise.
Is it too early?
Is it too late?
Is the road isolated?
Are there enough people around?
Should I tell someone where I’m going?
Should I share my live location?
Should I run with someone?
Should I avoid headphones?
Should I turn around?
And now, for women in parts of Kempton Park:
Should I stop running altogether?
That should not be the answer.
The problem with always telling women to be more careful
Of course women should take the SAPS warning seriously.
If police are investigating potentially connected deaths in an area, avoiding isolated routes and exercising with others is sensible.
But safety advice should be a short-term precaution.
It cannot become the entire solution.
Because South African women have heard versions of the same advice for years:
Don’t walk alone.
Don’t go out at night.
Don’t use quiet roads.
Don’t wear headphones.
Don’t get into an unfamiliar car.
Don’t take shortcuts.
Don’t trust strangers.
Don’t leave your drink unattended.
Don’t make yourself vulnerable.
Eventually, the question becomes:
How much smaller must women’s lives become?
The responsibility for preventing violence cannot continually be transferred to the people most at risk of experiencing it.
Women can take precautions.
Communities can look out for one another.
But authorities also have a responsibility to make public spaces safer.
What happens now?
SAPS has established a dedicated multidisciplinary task team to investigate the deaths.
The team includes detectives from specialised units, including the Murder and Robbery Unit and the Investigative Psychology Unit.
The investigation is being led by Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Major-General Mbuso Khumalo.
Investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding each death and whether the cases are connected.
Police have also appealed to residents, motorists, security personnel and anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity around Rhodesfield or surrounding areas to come forward.
Anyone with information can contact Warrant Officer Elvis Manyike on 082 465 7249.
Information can also be submitted anonymously through the MySAPS app.
Elizabeth’s disappearance makes the warning hit differently
The timing of Moselakgomo’s disappearance makes the police warning particularly difficult to ignore.
She wasn’t reportedly disappearing from a nightclub or leaving a party late at night.
She went for a run.
An everyday activity.
Something thousands of people do.
And she hasn’t come home.
Her eight-year-old daughter was the one who raised the alarm.
That detail makes this story about more than four bodies and a police investigation.
It is about a family waiting.
It is about a woman whose whereabouts remain unknown.
And it is about thousands of other women looking at what is happening in Kempton Park and wondering whether the same thing could happen to them.
But the public needs facts, not rumours
The fear is understandable.
Four women found dead in the same broad area over a relatively short period is deeply disturbing.
A missing 38-year-old woman who went for a run has only intensified that fear.
But speculation can become dangerous.
The unidentified body found in Rhodesfield should not automatically be identified as Moselakgomo before authorities complete the formal process.
The four deaths should not automatically be declared the work of one killer before investigators establish that connection.
And unverified claims about suspects should not be circulated as fact.
There is a way to demand answers without creating misinformation.
Ask questions. Demand transparency. Follow the investigation. But let investigators establish the facts.
South African women shouldn’t have to stop running
The Kempton Park investigation will eventually tell us more.
It may establish that the deaths are connected.
It may establish that they are not.
It may answer what happened to Elizabeth Moselakgomo.
It may reveal that the fears currently spreading across communities were based on a connection that investigators ultimately could not prove.
But right now, one thing is already clear:
Women are scared.
And they have a reason to be.
The police are concerned enough to issue a public warning.
Families are waiting for answers.
A 38-year-old woman went out for a run and has not returned.
Four women have been found dead.
Investigators are now trying to establish whether those stories intersect.
Until they know, women in the affected areas should take the official safety advice seriously.
But South Africa also needs to ask a bigger question.
Why should women have to stop jogging?
Why should they have to stop walking?
Why should they have to avoid public spaces?
Why should they have to constantly calculate whether an ordinary activity could put their lives at risk?
Women should not have to make their lives smaller because public spaces are unsafe.
The goal should not be to keep women indoors.
The goal should be to make it safe for them to walk outside.
To run.
To exercise.
To go to work.
To come home.
To live.
And for Elizabeth Moselakgomo’s family, the immediate question is even simpler:
Where is Elizabeth?
Until that question is answered, her family waits.
And until the circumstances surrounding the four deaths are established, so does a community that has every right to demand answers.
What we know about the Kempton Park women’s deaths
How many women have been found dead in Kempton Park?
SAPS is investigating the deaths of four women whose bodies were discovered in the Kempton Park area between July and September 2026. Police have identified similarities between the cases and are investigating possible links.
Is there a serial killer in Kempton Park?
SAPS has not confirmed that a serial killer is operating in the area. Police say it is too early to conclude that the deaths are connected or that a single perpetrator is responsible.
Who is Elizabeth Moselakgomo?
Elizabeth Mokolo Moselakgomo, also known as “Tsontso”, is a 38-year-old Kempton Park woman who disappeared after leaving home for an afternoon run on 10 September 2026.
Has Elizabeth Moselakgomo been found?
She remains officially missing. A woman’s body was found in Rhodesfield after her disappearance, but police have not confirmed that the body is Moselakgomo.
Why has SAPS warned women in Kempton Park?
Police say detectives identified concerning similarities in the circumstances surrounding the four deaths. Women in and around Kempton Park, particularly Rhodesfield, have been advised not to walk or run alone in isolated areas and to exercise or travel in groups where possible.
Where were the bodies found?
The discoveries were made in the broader Kempton Park area, with several locations in and around Rhodesfield and near the R21.
What is SAPS doing about the deaths?
SAPS has established a dedicated multidisciplinary task team involving specialised detectives, including the Murder and Robbery Unit and Investigative Psychology Unit, to establish what happened and whether the cases are connected.
How can people help the investigation?
Anyone with information about suspicious activity in Rhodesfield or surrounding areas can contact Warrant Officer Elvis Manyike on 082 465 7249 or submit information anonymously through the MySAPS app.
