South African police discover body of 11th woman near Johannesburg

Police are investigating the killings in a country with one of the highest femicide rates in the world.South African police have discovered the body of another woman east of the country’s commercial capital, Johannesburg, bringing the total number of female bodies found near the city since mid-July to 11.Police said on Sunday that the latest victim was found in an open field in the Ekurhuleni municipality at about midday local time (10am GMT).Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3South Africa gender commissioner: women ‘hunted’ amid femicide crisislist 2 of 3‘This is a war’: South Africa battles femicide as women’s bodies pile uplist 3 of 3Fear and anger in South Africa as bodies of nine women found: What we knowend of list“A security company vehicle patrolling the area noticed the body and alerted the police,” police spokeswoman Brigadier Brenda Muridili said.Details about the woman’s identity, age and cause of death were not immediately available.Just one day earlier, on Saturday, the body of a semi-naked woman was found near a cemetery in the same municipality.The latest discoveries add to growing concern over violence against women in a country long plagued by violent crime. While police work to establish whether the killings are connected, there have been community concerns that the murders are being carried out by the same killer or killers.Provincial police chief Tommy Mthombeni said the victim found on Saturday appeared to have been stoned to death, but a post-mortem examination would be conducted to determine the cause of death.Police said a man linked to the killing was arrested almost 400km (250 miles) away. His arrest brings the number of people in custody in connection with the series of killings to four.President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the recovery of the body of the 10th victim while on the campaign trail for upcoming local elections, broadcaster eNCA reported.