Mourners gathered to bid a heartwrenching farewell to 38-year-old Elizabeth 'Tsontso' Moselakgomo, the first victim discovered in the Kempton Park murders. Amid emotional tributes from her young daughter and fellow running club members, government officials confirmed a joint task team was actively investigating the string of killings. Three people have been taken into custody.

"An echo of happiness", is how loved ones described Elizabeth "Tsontso" Moselakgomo as she was laid to rest more than a week after she was discovered murdered in Rhodesfield, Kempton Park.

On Sunday, 20 September, mourners gathered at Phake Kwa-Rankaila in Mpumalanga to bury the 38-year-old mother.

Moselakgomo was the first of nine women whose bodies have been discovered in the broader Kempton Park area, prompting nationwide outrage and concerns that a serial killer may be operating in the East Rand. She was reported missing by her eight-year- old daughter after she failed to return from an afternoon run.

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Her family, neighbours and friends paid tribute to the late runner, describing her as a caring, compassionate woman with an infectious personality who had inherited her lifelong passion for running from her father.

Government officials, including Social Development Minister Dina Pule, Minister for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga, and Mpumalanga MEC for social development Nompumelelo Hlophe, were among the dignitaries in attendance.

Her neighbour and friend Lesiba Molefe, who was her frequent running partner, ended his tribute with an appeal to men to end gender-based violence.

"Can we please protect our sisters, our aunts? We [runners] are emotional...