“I came here running just to make sure it’s not her.”
These are the words of a worried mother whose daughter has been missing since Friday.
Speaking from the scene on Tuesday, where police found the 6th body of a woman, Cathrine Nnaki said that when she heard, she feared the worst.
Her daughter Faith, 35, has not been seen since Friday.
The 59-year-old is from White City in Kwa-Thema. Springs said Faith left home on Friday, September 10, 2026, without informing family of her whereabouts.
“When I heard that a body had been found in the area, I came to check if it was her because I heard that bodies of women had been found dead. I was so worried about her safety.”
She said she was unable to view the body and was redirected to the Germiston Mortuary.
Daughter often leaves home without telling family
Nnaki said she had tried calling her daughter throughout the weekend, but Faith did not answer.
“When I call her, it rings, but she’s not responding,” she said.
Nnaki said Faith, who has four children, sometimes leaves home without telling her family where she is going.
“Sometimes she can go for a week without us knowing where she is, and then she just comes back home,” she said.
Nnaki said Faith left home after washing her children’s laundry on Friday.
“Even on Friday, she left after washing her kids’ laundry, and after that she went and never came back.”
She said she had spoken to Faith’s friends and other people she spends time with, but nobody had seen her.
“All the people that we asked said they didn’t see her. We asked her friends, people she hangs around with, but they said they didn’t see her.”
Nnaki said the possibility that the body could be her daughter’s was frightening.
“It will be very difficult if it turns out that this body that was discovered here belongs to her, because she has kids,” she said.
“I am scared because the police said the body was of a person in her 30s. I am scared. I hope that she will return home alive.”
Nnaki said she planned to go to the Germiston government mortuary to identify the body.
Children waiting for their mother
Faith’s four children have been asking about their mother, Nnaki said.
“The kids are fine because they are also used to me looking after them, but they do say they are hungry and ask for money to go to school,” she said.
The body discovered in Kwa-Thema was taken to the Germiston government mortuary, where families can assist with identification.
“I came here running just to make sure if it’s her or not “ These are the words of a worried woman from White City in Kwa-Thema, Springs, who rushed to the scene where the sixth body of a woman was discovered on Tuesday, fearing it could be her missing daughter.
Community calls for increased police visibility
Kwa-Thema resident Nizipho Zulu, 50, called for increased police visibility in the area following the discovery of the woman’s body.
“As the women and community of Kwa-Thema, we are not happy. Not this community alone, but also similar cases in Kempton Park. We hope the government and the police can find the killers,” Zulu said.
“This has been happening day by day now, and we don’t feel safe anywhere. As women, even when you go out now, it is not safe anywhere because you don’t know if you will come back home or not.”
Death toll rises as police investigate seven cases
The Kwa-Thema discovery comes amid an investigation into the deaths of women whose bodies have been found in and around Kempton Park and other parts of Ekurhuleni.
Kwa-Thema is about 45km from Kempton Park.
The body found on the side of the road in Kwa-Thema on Tuesday was that of a woman believed to be in her 30s.
Residents said she was naked and appeared to have been dead for several days.
Acting Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said a pathologist’s preliminary assessment indicated that the woman appeared to have been strangled.
“The pathologist who examined the body gave a preliminary report that the woman appears to have been strangled around the neck. That’s what we have for now,” Kekana said.
He said a post-mortem examination was expected to take place on Wednesday.
“What I can assure you is that the team is hard at work, and we are doing all we can to link anything that can assist,” he said.
The Kwa-Thema discovery follows the deaths of women whose bodies were found in and around Kempton Park.
Five bodies found near Kempton Park
The first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found near the R21 on July 15. She was naked and had been restrained with cable ties.
A suspect was arrested two days later and remains in custody.
A second body, belonging to a 32-year-old woman, was found near the R21 on August 24. She had visible bruises and was partially clothed.
On September 10, the body of an unidentified woman was found near Rhodesfield in Kempton Park in an advanced state of decomposition. She was also partially clothed.
Two days later, on September 12, the body of a 38-year-old woman was found in Rhodesfield, behind a hotel. She was wearing sports clothing and was partially clothed.
The remains were later identified as those of Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo.
Moselakgomo disappeared on September 10 after leaving her Kempton Park home for her routine afternoon run.
Her 8-year-old daughter raised the alarm after her mother failed to return home at her usual time, prompting relatives to realise that something was wrong.
Her body was positively identified by her family at the Germiston Forensic Pathology Service facility.
A fifth body was discovered on September 14 along the R21 near Olifantsfontein. The remains are still subject to formal identification.
The latest case to be added to the investigation involves a woman whose body was found in a river in Clayville, next to Tembisa Mall, on September 7.
Kekana said the woman was believed to be in her late 20s and was found naked, although she was still wearing her underwear.
Police only became aware that the Clayville case could be linked to the investigation after the other bodies were discovered.
“After noticing that bodies had been recovered, we returned to our police stations. Unfortunately, it came to light that on the 7th of this month, the body of a woman in her late 20s was found in the river in Clayville, next to Tembisa Mall,” Kekana said.
“Therefore, this body will also be included as part of those to be investigated by the whole team.
“Therefore, we don’t have six bodies. This one will be included as the seventh body.”
Kekana said investigators would leave no stone unturned as they worked to establish whether the cases were connected.
Police were expected to brief the media on Tuesday evening on the investigation.
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