South Africans hold memorial runs and protests after deaths of nine women

Johannesburg, South Africa. South Africans held memorial runs and protests this week after the killings of nine women near Johannesburg renewed anger and fear over violence against women.

Police found the bodies in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, over the past two months and are investigating whether the deaths are linked.

Memorial run

A memorial run in Johannesburg on Saturday honoured Elizabeth Moselakgomo, one of the victims, who disappeared after going for a run and was found dead days later.

Runners dressed in black, lit candles and carried a banner reading: “Enough. Stop Femicide.”

“We are here because we’ve lost a runner. But we are not safe anywhere,” said Lerato Lentsela, one of dozens of people who attended the event.

“We are not safe running, we are not safe at a post office, we are not safe on a date, we are not safe in our own homes, we are not safe in an Uber,” she said.

Investigation and response

Most of the victims were in their 20s and 30s. Some were found without clothes and showed signs of sexual assault.

The killings have intensified concern over gender-based violence in South Africa, where it was declared a national disaster in 2025. Many women have said heightened attention and official commitments have not made them feel safer.

“Enough is enough. Our women deserve to live, walk, run and exist without fear,” the Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation, which campaigns against gender-based violence, said in a statement.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday that South Africa could not become accustomed to such violence and pledged that no stone would be left unturned in the investigations.

Policing in South Africa has been weakened by corruption and resource shortages. About one in 10 murders is solved.