Fear grips running community after Elizabeth Moselakgomo’s death

The death of 38-year-old runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo has heightened safety concerns among running communities, with clubs urging runners to avoid going out alone and instead run in groups.

Some clubs are also stepping up security measures, including patrol vehicles, as fears grow among both male and female runners.

Moselakgomo’s body was positively identified by her family on Monday at the Germiston mortuary.

She was last seen leaving her place of residence on September 9 in Kempton Park.

Moselakgomo, a routine jogger, left her home and never returned. Her distraught family had proceeded to the Kempton Park police station, where a missing persons report was completed.

Her body was discovered on September 12 at the back of a hotel in the Rhodesfield area.

According to police, she was wearing sports clothing and was found partially clothed.

Her family has described her as a bubbly and jolly person.

Gawie van Jaarsveld, running for Kempton road runners, said there is growing fear, particularly among women.

“Everybody is busy trying to get the pepper spray to run with that and also to try and make the running groups bigger to run more together than just alone. There’s fear, not just for women but also for the men.

He said there have been a few safety incidents involving runners in the past, including accidents, but no specific hotspots have been identified.

It’s not safe to run on your own. So this is where everybody’s kind of like moving towards finding clubs, finding groups, finding crews, as they call them, to actually run with safety numbers. So that will definitely be on the increase

—  Graham Block of Run Zone Athletics Club

“It’s difficult because you don’t know what is the hotspot area, so even for the police to go to the hotspot areas that’s going to be very difficult, and it’s quite a big area, there’s a lot of places,” Van Jaarsveld said.

Van Jaarsveld said most runners run from 4am in the morning.

“So maybe getting the security people also, instead of sitting at the roadblock or at the stop waiting for a call, move a bit more around and see what’s going on,” he said

He has advised runners to run in big groups.

“Stay together and don’t leave somebody behind,” he said.

Graham Block of Run Zone Athletics Club said while safety concerns have always existed among runners, the recent incident has taken those concerns to another level.

He said people are now reluctant to run.

“The general consensus is that people are now kind of reluctant, having to go out and run by themselves.

He said people have to run in groups.

“It’s not safe to run on your own. So this is where everybody’s kind of like moving towards finding clubs, finding groups, finding crews, as they call them, to actually run with safety numbers. So that will definitely be on the increase,” he said.

Block said their club will take safety precautions and beef up security. “We actually can have a security vehicle patrol the routes that we usually use.”

While he did not know Moselakgomo personally, she was part of their community.

“She’s one of us, no matter whether you knew her personally or not; it’s a runner. But beyond that, she’s a human being. And that alone speaks volumes in my book. How do you do that to anybody? Your right mind would never even consider doing that ― it’s just not humane,” Block said.

Moselakgomo’s body is the fourth found in the Kempton Park area within two months.

Acting Gauteng commissioner Fred Kekana said the first body was that of a 37-year-old woman, who was discovered near the R21 on July 15. She was found naked and had been restrained with cable ties.

Kekana said that in this case, investigators have already made progress, and a suspect who was arrested on July 17 is in custody. Investigations are ongoing.

The second body, that of a 32-year-old woman, was discovered near the R21 on August 24. She was also found partially clothed.

The third body, that of an unidentified woman, was discovered on September 10. The body was in an advanced state of decomposition and was found naked.

Kekana said the woman’s identity has not yet been formally established and the identification process is continuing.

The fifth body was found on Monday in Olifantsfontein also partially clothed.

The Gauteng provincial community police board said it is supporting police with community intelligence and visible patrolling, in partnership with precinct security partners, co-ordinated at station level through the community police forums and SAPS stations in the affected areas.

The board has asked communities to take seriously the safety advice SAPS has issued and to look out for one another.

Meanwhile, the City of Ekurhuleni temporarily suspended litter-picking services in the affected areas on Monday. The city said the majority of the services are carried out by female officials who work in open and secluded areas.

“The city is therefore putting a co-ordinated safety plan in place to protect employees while carrying out their duties,” it said.

The city said litter-picking and grass-cutting services will resume on Tuesday.

“The city urges employees and residents to remain vigilant, exercise extra caution and be mindful of their surroundings at all times,” it said.

The Gauteng provincial legislature’s portfolio committee on community safety has strongly condemned the murders and called on members of the public to come forward with any information that could assist the police in identifying, locating and arresting the perpetrator(s) responsible for the heinous crimes.

The committee expressed concern about the circumstances surrounding the deaths and urged anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity, encountered the victims or suspects, or possess any information that could assist investigators to report it to the police without delay.

TimesLIVE

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