Lesufi calls for army help as Ekurhuleni women’s killings spark alarm

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has called for the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to assist police operations in Ekurhuleni following the discovery of the bodies of eight women in the area over the past two months.

Lesufi said every available resource must be deployed to find those responsible for the deaths and restore public confidence in law enforcement.

“We have agreed that we have to bring every resource that we have to find the perpetrators because, if we can’t, we will continue to have this anxiety and fear, and people will not believe that the system can protect them,” Lesufi said.

The premier said an emergency meeting with acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia had resolved that Kempton Park and surrounding areas would face intensified law-enforcement operations.

He said Cachalia had been mandated to engage the relevant national authorities over the deployment of SANDF personnel.

“They are already in Gauteng; we just have to redefine the roles. We just need an additional resource,” Lesufi said.

Lesufi said the province could not afford to leave the killings unresolved.

“Every resource that we have must be deployed there until we’ve got a resolution [on] why we have so many bodies in that region. If we leave it unattended, our credibility as the state will be challenged,” he said.

Police have established a high-level multidisciplinary team to investigate the deaths, while intensified operations are being conducted in Kempton Park and surrounding areas. A R400,000 reward has also been offered for information that could assist the investigation.

The latest Dawn Park discovery of a woman’s body along Lama Street comes as concern continues to grow over violence against women in Gauteng. Police have yet to establish whether the Dawn Park death is connected to the cases under investigation in Ekurhuleni.

Authorities have urged anyone with information about the killings to come forward as investigations continue.