Six murdered women found with their hands tied behind their backs in downtown Joburg

The six victims found dead at a building in a semi-industrial area of the Johannesburg city centre had been tied up, according to eyewitnesses.

The 21-year-old suspect arrested after Sunday's gruesome discovery had the keys to the building and would be seen driving into the property with a female in his vehicle on several occasions, they said.

“I couldn't sleep last night, I kept thinking about what I saw,” said one man.

A caretaker at one of the neighbouring buildings in Village Main said they had started to smell a stench last week but could not initially trace the source. 

Another witness said he had noted a foul smell a week ago. Some of the workers in the area got together to investigate, which led them to the section of the building where the bodies were discovered.

He said the decomposed bodies were semi-naked.

“All the victims were tied when they were discovered. One body was found in a bin, the others under boxes. One was found in the back of a van,” he said.

The building is a panelbeaters which started about a year ago, he said. Before that, it was used to manufacture work boots.

The caretaker said he could not understand how people worked amid the stench. “There are people who work there and they kept coming to work as if everything was fine.”

Police spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili said the suspect was charged with six counts of murder, which are under investigation by the Gauteng murder and robbery unit.

TimesLIVE

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.