South African Women Live in Fear as Femicide Crisis Deepens

JOHANNESBURG — The recent murders of nine women in the greater Johannesburg area have intensified fears among South African women, with many describing the country as feeling like a prison. The killings, which include the brutal murder of Elizabeth Moselakgomo, a 38-year-old manager and avid runner, have triggered national grief and anger over the persistent crisis of gender-based violence.

Moselakgomo disappeared after her afternoon jog near the Johannesburg airport last week. Her body was discovered five days later; it had been found half-naked with severe facial injuries. According to police, most of the nine women killed in this specific area over the past few weeks were also sexually assaulted.

While South Africa already suffers from some of the highest rates of violence against women globally—averaging approximately 15 female deaths daily and more than 100 rape cases reported daily—the concentration of these recent killings has shocked even a population accustomed to such brutality. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of a serial killer and have urged women to remain vigilant and avoid walking or running alone.

This advisory has sparked significant backlash on social media. Many women argue that the responsibility for safety should lie with law enforcement rather than requiring them to restrict their daily movements. Shenilla Mohamed, Amnesty International’s South Africa director, stated that women are tired of empty promises. “Women in South Africa continue to be hunted and denied the most basic right to life and security,” Mohamed said. “We want to know what is going to be done to make women and children feel safe.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged that investigators will leave no stone unturned in identifying the perpetrators. However, critics point out that the government, despite declaring gender-based violence and femicide a national disaster in 2025, has failed to implement effective protections for women and girls.

Protests have erupted in Kempton Park, the suburb where many of the bodies were found, as well as in Cape Town. In Johannesburg, running clubs held memorial runs in honor of Moselakgomo and other victims, with participants dressed in black and observing a minute of silence before jogging. Shari Maluluke, 26, expressed the frustration felt by many. “As a woman you can’t do anything alone,” she told NPR. “You jog, you can get killed… It just makes me angry that I can’t move freely, my whole country feels like a prison.”

Didi Tsitsi, 31, noted that women constantly share their locations and use ride-sharing apps for safety. She attributed the crisis to a failure of government and policing, deep-rooted societal definitions of masculinity, and the lingering legacies of apartheid. Some academic studies support the view that historical inequalities continue to manifest in contemporary violence against women.