Suspect Arrested In Tzaneen After 10th Woman’s Body Found At Tembisa Cemetery
A suspect linked to the murder of Ntombifuthu Nxumalo, whose body was discovered at Mooifontein Cemetery in Tembisa on Saturday, has been arrested in Limpopo after allegedly fleeing Gauteng following the killing.
Nxumalo’s body was discovered on the morning of 26 September 2026 in the Vusimusi section of the cemetery. She was found unclothed with severe head injuries. Stones were recovered around her body, raising the possibility that she may have been stoned. Investigators said there were no visible stab wounds.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Nxumalo had been drinking at a local tavern with a female acquaintance before leaving with an unidentified man. Residents living near the cemetery reportedly told detectives that they heard a woman screaming and pleading for her life at about 11pm.
Investigators first traced the suspect to an address in Tembisa before establishing that he had travelled to Limpopo. A multidisciplinary team comprising Crime Intelligence in Ekurhuleni, Tembisa South detectives, the Investigative Psychology Unit and the Gauteng Local Criminal Record Centre travelled to Mohlabaneng village near Tzaneen.
With assistance from SAPS Bolobedu, officers found the suspect asleep in his room and arrested him at about 11pm on Saturday. The arrest was made without incident.
Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane commended the units involved in the investigation for securing the same-day arrest.
“This is the kind of policing we expect from our members,” Dimpane said. “We will continue to pursue perpetrators of murder and gender-based violence and femicide.”
Nxumalo’s death was the 10th discovery of a woman’s body in Ekurhuleni in recent weeks. However, another woman’s body was discovered in Struisbult, Springs, on Sunday, 27 September, bringing the number of female bodies found in the area during the period to 11.
The series of deaths has fuelled public concern and speculation about a possible serial attacker. Police, however, have not confirmed that the cases are linked and continue to investigate each case.
The suspect remains in cus