By JOHANNESBURG — The Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced a staggering R500,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest and successful criminal prosecution of the serial killer targeting women in Ekurhuleni.
The high-stakes announcement was made by Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, the DA’s Ekurhuleni Mayoral Candidate, who delivered a blistering critique of national law enforcement agencies and systemic governance failures.
The intervention comes in the wake of a horrifying surge of violence that has claimed the lives of eight women in the metropolitan municipality over recent weeks.
A Desperate Measure for an Unfolding Crisis
With public safety deteriorating and communities gripped by fear, Rasilingwane framed the financial incentive as a vital catalyst to bridge the gap between community intelligence and police action.
“The DA is adding to the efforts of law enforcement already under way, and we are doing this to supplement and augment those efforts,” Rasilingwane stated during the address. “The DA is adding extra reason for all relevant information to be handed over now, to address this crisis quickly.”
According to the party, the reward framework is strictly structured to ensure legal accountability. Informants must submit their tips directly and on-record to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and subsequently provide the DA with formal proof of submission. Direct tip-offs to the party will not be accepted, ensuring that all intelligence feeds straight into legitimate criminal investigations.
Pointing Fingers at Systemic State Failure
The DA’s address quickly escalated into a wider indictment of South Africa’s security apparatus, highlighting systemic rot that opposition figures argue leaves ordinary citizens unprotected. Rasilingwane did not mince words regarding the state of public safety, pointing to suppressed crime data and crumbling municipal and national infrastructure.
- Concealment of Data: Gender-based violence (GBV) and crimes against children statistics have allegedly been pulled from public view due to soaring, unmanageable rates.
- Forensic Backlogs: Crucial forensic laboratories tasked with processing biological evidence and DNA remain bogged down by months and years of administrative and operational delays.
- Decimated Patrol Fleets: Police vehicles intended for visible policing and rapid response are frequently broken, out of service, and left in severe disrepair.
- Unresponsive Emergency Lines: Over 50% of emergency calls placed to local SAPS stations go unanswered or are ignored, effectively abandoning citizens during critical emergencies.
“For every two women in danger that call the SAPS, one will never reach the police as her rapist or murderer approaches,” Rasilingwane warned.
Echoing the Courage of a Child
Drawing a deeply emotional parallel, the mayoral candidate invoked the memory of Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, one of the recent victims. It was Moselakgomo’s eight-year-old daughter who made the initial frantic phone calls highlighting her mother’s disappearance, single-handedly bringing the tragedy to light.
“Let us not forget the families left behind by the deceased, who are mourning,” Rasilingwane said. “Society can follow in her footsteps to bring the perpetrator to light too.”
The DA maintains that the killer is likely someone’s neighbour or acquaintance—someone who may have noticed abrupt behavioural changes, late-night absences, or unexplained traces of blood. By dangling a half-million-rand incentive, the opposition hopes to fracture the code of silence or indifference protecting the perpetrator.
As political pressure mounts on the Police Minister and the Presidency, the DA’s intervention underscores a deepening political fault line over municipal policing, state competence, and the safety of women across South Africa.
“Ekurhuleni cannot wait,” Rasilingwane concluded. “Women cannot wait. Justice cannot wait.”
