‘This is a war’: South Africa battles femicide as women’s bodies pile up

The bodies of nine women have been found over roughly two months in Ekurhuleni municipality around Johannesburg, most recently on Thursday morning in Dawn Park, Boksburg, where a woman believed to be in her thirties was found half-naked and wrapped in a sheet. Police say they have found no link between the cases and are investigating whether one perpetrator, multiple men or copycat crimes are involved, while the Commission for Gender Equality and rights groups warn the killings reflect a broader national femicide crisis and criticise the government’s response to gender-based violence.