Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read
07 August 2025 | 19:30 CAT

📷 A chilling pattern emerges: Five women murdered along Pretoria’s east – police probe possible serial killer. (Image credits: Oudtshoorn Courant)

A quiet suburb of Pretoria is now the centre of a chilling investigation, as a string of gruesome discoveries, burned and buried female bodies point to the presence of a possible serial killer. With five women dead in similar circumstances, authorities are racing against time to connect the dots, uncover motives, and prevent further tragedy.

The victims were all young women aged between 20 and 35 and were discovered within a 10-kilometre radius in Tshwane and surrounding areas, including near train tracks, open velds, and secluded dumpsites. Each body was found in an advanced state of burning, with some wrapped in plastic or partially buried. Preliminary forensic reports suggest the use of accelerants, and in at least two cases, attempts to erase identifying features.

Families of the victims have shared screenshots of last-known conversations, including messages arranging to meet unknown men. One distraught mother recalled her daughter saying she was going on “a quick date” and would be back before dark but she never returned. Police confirm that all the women were either reported missing within days of each other or had overlapping disappearance timelines, further reinforcing the theory of a serial offender operating within a tight window and target profile.

“Forensic similarities between the victims, their location, the time frame, and especially the method of burning strongly indicate we are dealing with a serial killer,” said Forensic Criminologist Pierre Gildenhuys in an interview with Radio Islam International. “The question now is: what’s the motive? Is he silencing the victims, is it a sexual thrill, or something deeper rooted in trauma? We just don’t know yet.”

One of the victims was last seen engaging Tinder, leading investigators to explore links between digital platforms and the murders. “Dating apps can be dangerous spaces,” warned Gildenhuys. “It’s easy to fall for someone who appears trustworthy online, but whose real identity and intentions are completely hidden.”

Referencing notorious cases like The Tinder Swindler and South Africa’s own Thabo Bester, Gildenhuys stressed that awareness is vital: “These platforms need tighter safety protocols, and users must be educated on the risks. Predators know how to exploit emotional vulnerability.”

Police are now working to determine whether the victims were killed at the discovery sites or transported there. “Were these rape victims silenced? Were the bodies burned to eliminate DNA evidence? Or were these kidnappings gone wrong?” he asked, highlighting South Africa’s wider crisis of abductions.

Investigators are urged to combine forensic work with digital tools: “We need cellphone tower data, family interviews, missing person timelines as some of these women may not have even been reported missing.”

Although not a psychologist, Gildenhuys noted, “Serial killers often appear respectable on the outside. But inside, there’s often deep trauma and targeted anger toward a specific group.”

The public’s role is critical. “We don’t have a hotline to the killer,” he said. “But we do have patterns. We have communities. If anyone has seen a suspicious vehicle or movement in the area, please speak up.”

He urged police to deploy undercover officers and field agents immediately: “Monitor the transport routes. Observe the dump sites. Someone always knows something and we need to find them before this killer strikes again.”

As fear grips Pretoria, so does a growing determination to stop the violence and uncover the truth before more lives are lost.

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up with with Forensic Criminologist Pierre Gildenhuys.