Police have arrested a suspect who was allegedly found with an item belonging to Elizabeth "Tsontso" Moselakgomo, the 38-year-old mother and runner whose body was found in Kempton Park on 12 September.

The arrest has been described as a breakthrough, but police say the suspect has not been charged with murder. Instead, the person is expected to face a charge related to possessing stolen property. The suspect is presumed innocent, has not been named, and has not been linked to the killing by police.

What police have said

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that the latest suspect was found in possession of an item belonging to Moselakgomo. Police have not said what the item was or where it was found.

"At this stage, no murder charge has been brought against the suspect," police said, as reported, adding that investigations are continuing. The suspect is likely to face a charge of possessing stolen property and is expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court, with one report giving Monday 12 October. We have not seen confirmation that the appearance took place.

The arrest was made over the weekend, according to reports.

How many arrests? Reports conflict. Some headlines refer to four suspects, and one report says four people were "allegedly found in possession of property" believed to be stolen from her. The body of most reports describes a single arrest, and the police statement we saw refers to one suspect. Until police clarify, treat the number as unconfirmed.

Background to the case

Moselakgomo left her home in Rhodesfield, Kempton Park, for an afternoon run in the second week of September. Her eight-year-old daughter raised the alarm when she did not return at her usual time. Reports give her disappearance as 9 or 10 September. Her body was found on 12 September, with one report saying it was behind a hotel in Rhodesfield. Her family identified her at the Germiston mortuary. She was buried in Pankop, Mpumalanga, where her brother remembered her as a devoted mother and passionate runner.

Her killing sparked national outrage and renewed concerns about women's safety, including among women runners.

Her death came amid a wider police investigation into the deaths of women across Ekurhuleni. Police have confirmed that a specialised multidisciplinary task team is looking at whether some of the cases are connected. On 15 September, police said preliminary information pointed to concerning similarities in the condition of the bodies and where they were found, but that it would be "premature to conclude that all five deaths involved a single perpetrator". Police have not confirmed that any of the cases are linked to a single killer.

The number of women is reported differently: nine in one police update and 12 in another report, and it is not clear which cases are included. We have not used a total.

What we do not yet know

  • What the item is, where it was found, and whether it ties the suspect to the killing. One report cautions that the arrest "does not yet confirm a breakthrough".
  • How many people have been arrested.
  • Whether a murder charge will follow, and whether the suspect appeared in court.
  • Whether police believe her death is linked to any of the other cases in Ekurhuleni.
  • The cause of her death. We did not find post-mortem results.

We will update this story when police or the court provide more detail.