President Cyril Ramaphosa’s statement that only two women found dead in Ekurhuleni had been reported missing appears difficult to reconcile with an earlier government statement and at least three documented cases of women reported missing before their bodies were discovered or identified.
During his national address on 29 September, Ramaphosa said: “Only two of the women found dead in Ekurhuleni had been reported missing.” He also reminded South Africans that there is no requirement to wait 24 hours before reporting someone missing, saying, “Hours matter.”
Nine days earlier, however, the government’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide said it had been informed that, of nine women’s bodies discovered in Ekurhuleni at the time, only one had no missing-person case reported. The statement did not clarify when those cases were opened or whether they were reported before the women were found.
Itumeleng Kekana, 32, was reported missing to Kempton Park SAPS on 17 July, according to police spokesperson Sergeant Dipuo Ditshego. Her body was discovered near Great North Road in Pomona on 3 August.
Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38, was reported missing after leaving her Rhodesfield home for a run. Her body was found on 12 September and later formally identified by her family.
Vutomi Mathebula was reported missing on 23 March after she failed to return from a trip to Dragon City. Her remains were discovered in Olifantsfontein on 14 September.
These cases provide at least three documented examples of women associated with the Ekurhuleni investigations who had been reported missing before their bodies were discovered or identified.
The official statements reviewed do not explain how these records relate to Ramaphosa’s figure of two, nor do they identify which two women he was referring to.
The issue is significant because SAPS policy states that missing-person investigations should begin immediately. Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police has also previously raised concerns about reports of people being incorrectly told to wait 24 hours before opening a missing-person case.
The number of women involved in the wider investigation has also changed as new cases emerged. Ramaphosa referred to 11 women found dead in Ekurhuleni, while government later referred to 13 bodies recovered in Ekurhuleni and surrounding areas. The broader count included a woman whose body was found in Moroka, Soweto.
Ramaphosa has cautioned against assuming the deaths are connected, saying police have not established evidence of a single perpetrator. His address also announced measures targeting unresolved cases, forensic backlogs and municipal safety risks, with implementation deadlines of 60 and 90 days.
For families searching for missing relatives, accurate records matter.
The central question remains: How was the figure of two missing-person reports calculated, and how does it relate to the earlier government statement and documented cases?
