A tenth woman found dead in the series of murders in South Africa

A new body was found on Saturday by South African police in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, bringing to ten the number of women killed in this municipality in the last two months.

While police are still trying to determine if the murders are linked, this gruesome discovery fuels growing concern about attacks on women in a country long plagued by violent crime.

This time, the body was found in the township of Tembisa, police said without providing further details.

"At this stage, we can only confirm the discovery of the body. Crime scene management is underway and all responders are currently on site," said police spokeswoman Brigadier Brenda Muridili.

Local television station eNCA reported that the semi-nude body was found in a cemetery. The nine other victims were mostly between 20 and 30 years old, some of whom were found unclothed and showing signs of sexual assault.

The jogger, Elizabeth Moselakgomo, last seen alive on September 9, has become the emblematic figure of this series of murders since mid-July, in the Kempton Park area, about 30 km northeast of Johannesburg.

The first victim was a 37-year-old woman, who was found naked and bound with cable ties on July 15.

A suspect was arrested two days later. Two other suspects, women aged 31 and 38, were arrested in connection with the ninth victim and charged on Monday. Police said the case may be related to a romantic relationship.

Gender-based violence is endemic in South Africa, despite years of government promises to tackle the problem and the declaration of gender-based violence as a national catastrophe.

This country of 62 million inhabitants has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with more than 60 homicides per day on average.