Serial killer is preying on Eastern Cape women, say cops

Eastern Cape police have launched a manhunt for a serial killer in Motherwell following the discovery of the semi-naked body of a third woman on Sunday.

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said detectives at Ikamvelihle police station were urgently seeking the community’s assistance in tracing the serial murderer and rapist.

“In the first incident on February 16, 2019, the semi-naked body [of a ] 43-year-old woman was found on a field near a primary school in NU8 in the Motherwell area. It is alleged that the previous day at about 20:00, the victim was assisting a friend to babysit at a house in Ngcungcu Street.

“At about 05:00 on February 16, 2019, the victim left the house and her semi-naked body was found three hours later. She had sustained several stab wounds to her neck,” said Naidu.

On May 4, the semi-naked of a 21-year-old woman was found hidden in bushes in Addo Road in the Ramaphosa area.

“On May 2, the victim was at a tavern in NU10 with her family. The following day at about 11:00, the victim was walking with her boyfriend when she met a woman she was with at the tavern the previous night.

“The victim’s boyfriend then left her with the woman. Her badly bruised and semi-naked body was found on May 4. The police are urgently trying to locate the woman who was with the victim as she could assist with the investigations,” Naidu said.

On October 6, at about 10:45, the partially decomposed and semi-naked body of a woman was found in bushes in the Ramaphosa area.

Naidu said the body was found not far from where the second one was discovered.

“The woman’s identity is not known. The police are appealing to anyone who may be looking for a woman who has not returned home to contact their local police station.

“In all cases, it is suspected that the three women were raped. We are awaiting DNA results to confirm if the victims were raped or not. The investigating officer believes that these were the acts of a single person attacking women in the area,” Naidu said.

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