For many South Africans, especially women, feeling safe is increasingly becoming something they have to pay for.
From armed-response services and surveillance systems to tracking devices, insurance and even personal bodyguards, households are spending more to protect themselves as concerns over crime and violence deepen.
The discovery of eight women’s bodies across parts of Ekurhuleni since July has brought those fears sharply into focus, raising fresh questions about women’s safety, the effectiveness of public protection and the growing financial burden of trying to feel secure.
Naeem Patel, chairperson of the Anti-Gender-Based Violence Coalition, told One Nation Media (ONM) that he has seen people spending increasingly large amounts on personal security.
“This is becoming more and more rife in our communities where people are being kidnapped, especially females,” Patel said.
“Some are being killed, some are being used for different types of muti and sex slaves and so on. And now we have a new thing is human trafficking.”
Patel was speaking about broader security concerns encountered through his work and did not suggest that trafficking, muti-related crimes or sexual exploitation were linked to the eight Ekurhuleni deaths currently under investigation.
He said the changing security environment was also affecting how people sought to protect themselves and their families.
“I’ve seen people spending large sums of money, some people even having two security companies guarding their houses, their cars, they’re taking out more insurance,” he said.
“So we’re having now a new phenomenon of bodyguards in the community.”
“Many people are having bodyguards. So yeah, a lot of people are spending much more money on security these days.”
His comments come as police investigate the deaths of eight women whose bodies have been found in different parts of Ekurhuleni over the past two months.
The investigation has expanded beyond the four women whose bodies were initially discovered in the Kempton Park area, with police also including bodies found in Clayville near Tembisa Mall, Olifantsfontein and KwaThema in the wider inquiry.
Of the eight women, only two had been formally identified as of Wednesday.
One was 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, who was reported missing after leaving home for a run. Her body was later discovered behind a hotel.
Police have cautioned against drawing conclusions about the cases before the evidence has been fully examined.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said it was “premature to speculate on patterns”, adding that the cases appeared to be “quite distinct, separate events”.
Authorities have nevertheless deployed additional detectives, forensic experts, intelligence officers and other specialised resources to determine whether any links exist between the deaths.
One person has been arrested in connection with the first body discovered in July, while police are also pursuing another person of interest. Authorities have not said that either individual is linked to all eight deaths.
The investigation has prompted a significant police response, including the establishment of a high-level multidisciplinary team and a R400,000 reward for information that could assist investigators.
Police have also increased visibility through Operation Shanela in Kempton Park and surrounding areas.
But beyond the investigation itself, the deaths have raised a wider question about how women are expected to navigate public spaces when concerns over personal safety become part of everyday life.
Following the initial discoveries, the South African Police Service advised women in and around Kempton Park, particularly the Rhodesfield area, to avoid walking or running alone and to exercise caution in isolated areas.
While such advice may help reduce individual risk, it also highlights a deeper problem: the burden of insecurity is increasingly being shifted onto individuals and households.
For those who can afford it, protection can mean paying for armed response, additional security patrols, cameras, tracking services, higher insurance premiums or, as Patel describes, even personal bodyguards.
For others, those options are simply beyond reach.
The result is an uncomfortable divide in which those with the means can purchase additional layers of protection, while those without them remain more dependent on the safety of public spaces and the effectiveness of law enforcement.
The Commission for Gender Equality has stressed that women should be able to participate freely in public life without fear of violence, placing responsibility on the state to create safer environments rather than expecting women simply to alter their routines.
The issue, therefore, is not only whether individuals are taking enough precautions. It is what happens when safety itself begins to resemble a commodity more easily available to those who can afford cameras, guards, armed response and private protection.
As investigators work to establish what happened to the eight women and whether any of the cases are connected, the fear spreading through parts of Ekurhuleni is already being felt far beyond the crime scenes.
It is shaping decisions about where women walk, when families leave their homes, how children travel and how much households are prepared — or able — to spend simply to feel protected.
