Body of Tenth Woman Discovered in South Africa's Ekurhuleni Region

South African authorities on Saturday located the remains of another woman in Ekurhuleni, a municipality east of Johannesburg, raising to 10 the number of women found deceased there in the last two months. Detectives are investigating whether the deaths are linked. The latest body was discovered in Tembisa township, police said, without releasing additional information. "At this stage, we can only confirm the discovery of the body. Crime scene management and all the necessary role players are currently on the scene," Police Spokeswoman Brigadier Brenda Muridili said. According to local broadcaster eNCA, the semi-naked body was found at a cemetery. Most of the nine prior victims were in their 20s or 30s, and several were discovered without clothing and with indications of sexual assault. The first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found naked and tied with cable ties on July 15. A suspect was taken into custody two days afterward. On Monday, two women, ages 31 and 38, were charged in connection with the ninth victim's death. Police have indicated the case might have arisen from an issue involving a relationship. Law enforcement has posted a 400,000 rand ($25,000) reward for information that leads to the capture of the killer or killers, and the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's second-largest political party, has contributed an additional $31,000. Last week, the South African government reported that the national Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Command Centre received 6,782 distress calls from September 1 to 16, an average of 424 per day. That represented a 21 percent rise over the same period in August, when the center averaged 350 calls daily. South Africa, home to 62 million people, ranks among the countries with the highest homicide rates, with an average of more than 60 killings each day.