A prime suspect in connection with the first of nine women found dead in Ekurhuleni is believed to be a foreign national, although police have not yet officially confirmed his nationality.
Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili says preliminary information suggests the suspect may not be South African.
The suspect is linked to the first murder, in which a 37-year-old woman was found naked and restrained with cable ties in an open field near the R21 in Kempton Park in July.
Police are obtaining the suspect’s fingerprints from police and prison records and are working with the Department of Home Affairs to verify his identity and nationality. The suspect appeared in court and remains in custody at the Modderbee Correctional Facility in Benoni.
A multidisciplinary task team is investigating possible links between the nine cases. However, police have not confirmed that the murders were committed by a single perpetrator.
SAPS has appealed to members of the public to provide any information that could assist the investigation and has urged communities not to resort to vigilantism.
