South Africa police find 11th woman dead in Ekurhuleni

South African police said an 11th woman has been found dead in Ekurhuleni municipality east of Johannesburg, bringing the number of women discovered dead there in 10 weeks to 11.

The latest body was found around midday on September 27 in an open veld after a security company vehicle patrolling the area alerted police, police spokeswoman Brigadier Brenda Muridili said. Police said the woman's identity, age and cause of death were not immediately known.

The discovery followed the finding on September 26 of a semi-naked woman's body near a cemetery in the same municipality. Provincial police chief Tommy Mthombeni said that victim appeared to have been stoned to death, with a post-mortem examination to determine the cause.

Police said a man linked to the September 26 killing was arrested nearly 400 kilometres away after leaving the area. The arrest brought to four the number of people in police custody over the killings.

Police have not linked any of the cases. The nine other victims were mostly in their 20s and 30s, with some found stripped of their clothes and showing signs of sexual assault.

South Africa's national GBV Command Centre received 6,782 distress calls from September 1 to 16, an average of 424 a day and up 21 percent from the same period in August.