In a statement issued on Sunday, the Commission described the five discoveries as disheartening. While the last body was found in July, the first was discovered decomposed in a sugar plantation in April.
Police are yet to confirm reports that 1 of the 2 suspects arrested for the murders of several women in uMthwalume on KZN south coast has committed suicide. He was due to appear in the uMzumbe Magistrate's Court today in connection with the killing of at least 5 women #sabcnews
— SAfm news (@SAfmnews) August 17, 2020
“While the country is celebrating the heroics of more than 20 000 women who marched to Union Buildings in 1956, these discoveries are a drawback to the gains that the women of 1956 envisaged and hoped for,” the CGE said.
It is suspected the murders are the work of a serial killer on the loose.
The CGE urged police to ensure that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are found and brought to justice.
“We cannot have a situation continuing where women have to live in fear of being attacked.
“#Womenlivesmatter – as such it is our hands as citizenry of this country to ensure that the death of these women in Mtwalume and elsewhere in the country are not in vain,” said Tamara Mathebula, the chairperson of the CGE.
The Commission urged the community of Mtwalume and surrounding areas to work closely with the police and Community Policing Forums (CPFs).
