By Johnathan Paoli
Kempton Park and surrounding areas are expected to come under an intensified police lockdown from Thursday morning as law enforcement steps up its hunt for those responsible for the deaths of eight women whose bodies have been discovered across Ekurhuleni.
The targeted police lockdown begins tomorrow as investigators pursue critical leads.
During a media briefing on Wednesday, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the province had received approval for the operation and that residents would see an increased law-enforcement presence as investigators follow leads they believe could bring a breakthrough.
“We want to assure our residents in Gauteng that with the approval that we got from the minister to lock down Kempton Park and surrounding areas, as of tomorrow, we will be in a position to ensure that people in that area are safe, but most importantly, will follow the leads and the information that has been provided to us thus far,” Lesufi said.
The lockdown comes after a series of killings and body discoveries across Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein, Clayville, Rhodesfield and KwaThema, with police now investigating the cases collectively while trying to establish whether they are connected.
Lesufi said investigators were closing in on a potential breakthrough, although he did not provide details that could compromise the operation.
“We remain hopeful on the basis of the information provided to us by the investigators that the breakthrough is imminent and we’ll be in a position to share that information with you, not in a distant future,” he said.
The premier also thanked people who had provided information to investigators, saying further developments from the South African Police Service could be announced on Wednesday evening or Thursday.
“Either later this afternoon or tomorrow, there will be updates that will be provided by the South African Police Service on some of the developments that have taken place either overnight or early this morning related to this matter,” he said.
The operation follows acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia’s announcement on Tuesday that police would substantially increase visibility in Kempton Park and surrounding communities through Operation Shanela.
Cachalia said a multidisciplinary team of investigators and specialists had already been established, with the police lockdown intended to combine heightened visibility with the investigation.
“In addition to the establishment of this multidisciplinary team of highly competent investigators and professionals, we will massively expand visibility through Operation Shanela in Kempton Park and the surrounding areas. In the weeks ahead, the police will lock down this area. In the coming weeks, community will see the presence of the South African Police Service (SAPS), and we will mobilise all necessary law enforcement capabilities,” Cachalia said.
The R400,000 reward announced by authorities for information leading to arrests will also form part of the wider effort to generate information from communities.
For residents, however, the precise nature of Thursday’s operation remained unclear at the time of the briefing.
Authorities have described it as a police lockdown and an expansion of Operation Shanela II, but have not publicly specified whether particular roads will be closed, whether there will be searches, roadblocks or other restrictions, or whether any formal restriction on residents’ movement will apply.
The operation should therefore not automatically be interpreted as a general curfew.
Residents will need to rely on further SAPS announcements for specific operational instructions.
Lesufi said the provincial government was also working to ensure that the intensified response did not remain confined to Kempton Park.
“We’ll step up all the necessary systems that have been identified, especially from the investigators, so that we don’t have this situation spreading to other regions or other municipalities,” he said.
The premier said that the latest deaths had come despite an overall decline in reported crime in Gauteng.
“While we welcome this progress, we remain mindful that the fight against crime is far from over. The increase in attempted murder and assault-related crimes reminds us violence remains a serious challenge that we need to defeat,” Lesufi said.
He said the province would continue working with SAPS, traffic authorities, metropolitan police departments, private security companies and community policing forums.
The immediate priority, however, will be Kempton Park, where police will begin the intensified operation on Thursday as detectives pursue leads into the deaths of the eight women.
Police have not established that a single perpetrator is responsible for all eight deaths and have not confirmed that the cases constitute the work of a serial killer.
Six of the women also remain unidentified, with Lesufi saying the provincial government would make resources available to help trace their relatives and give families an opportunity for closure.
The lockdown will put Kempton Park at the centre of a rapidly expanding police investigation, with authorities under growing pressure to make arrests and provide answers for the victims’ families.
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