A killer is stalking Johannesburg’s East Rand, and criminologists warn he is calculated, methodical, and adapting as police close in.

He lures women with fake ride-share offers – and dumps their bodies along major highways. Nine women’s bodies have been found since July and police are investigating whether the deaths are connected but have not confirmed a serial killer.

Die Papier, sister publication of NovaNews, sat down with the experts building this chilling profile.

Dr TD Ngoveni, a criminologist at UNISA, says the suspect targets black women in their thirties who move alone in public – women heading home from work, walking to a taxi or train, or out jogging.

The suspect is likely a man in his forties or fifties – strong enough to overpower and dispose of bodies. Ngoveni ruled out anyone over 60, citing the sheer physical demands of the crimes.

His method is deceptively simple. A woman who escaped an attack at Mosquito Park on Sunday evening told investigators the suspect poses as a ride-share driver, offering lifts in busy areas like Rhodesfield, near OR Tambo International Airport. Victims climb in willingly, with no idea of the danger waiting behind the wheel.

The timeline gaps are deeply troubling. Itumeleng Kekana vanished on 17 July but was only found on 3 August – more than two weeks later.

What the crime scenes reveal is harrowing. Victims’ faces are mutilated beyond recognition – a sign of intense rage. Bodies are stripped, partly to satisfy a sadistic urge, partly to destroy evidence. Cable ties found on the first victim show a need for absolute control.

He uses the R21 and N12 highways as a dumping ground, leaving bodies in open fields along major routes for a quick escape. When police intensified their search around Kempton Park, the suspect moved his disposal sites further away. Professor Christiaan Bezuidenhout said the suspect also follows the news – a rational, calculating mind that tracks the investigation and adapts.

The rewards for information leading to an arrest stand at R900 000 as the hunt for the killer continues.

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