South African rapper Nasty C has expressed his frustration with the country’s response to violent crime and gender-based violence following the discovery of nine women’s bodies across Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.

The “Zulu Man With Some Power” hitmaker took to social media on Friday, 18 September, to question whether enough is being done by those responsible for making decisions around public safety.

Nasty C said he feared South Africans would remain trapped in a cycle of violent crime followed by social media outrage and hashtags unless there was meaningful intervention from those in positions of power.

“We’re gonna be stuck in this loop of crime & hashtags for a very long time until someone breaks it,” he wrote. “And that someone is in the office where they make decisions on how this country is run.”

He continued by calling for greater action to protect women, children and communities.

“If those guys really cared, we’d see real change & our country would be a much safer place for women, for children, for everyone,” he said.

“We need them to stand up & do right by our women & our country. Until then, the cycle continues. This is exhausting.”

His comments came after the discovery of a ninth woman’s body in Dawn Park, Ekurhuleni, on 17 September. According to the South African Police Service, the discovery brought the number of women whose bodies had been found across the municipality over a two-month period to nine. Police have established a multidisciplinary team to investigate the cases.

The deaths have caused widespread fear and renewed concern about the safety of women in the region. While investigators are examining possible links between the cases, authorities have not officially confirmed that the killings were committed by one person or that they form part of a single series.

Several of the victims have since been identified. Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, a 38-year-old runner, was among those whose deaths prompted widespread public attention after she went missing earlier this month. Gracious Nkomo, 28, was also identified by her family after her body was found on 10 September.

Nasty C’s comments have added to mounting public pressure on authorities to provide answers and strengthen measures aimed at preventing violence against women.

The government has since announced that it is taking additional steps in response to the killings. On 20 September, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide said it had approved a Comprehensive Emergency Strategy aimed at speeding up efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible. The strategy includes law enforcement, prevention, protection, safety, justice and support for victims and survivors.

The government has also expressed condolences to the families of the nine women and said authorities remain committed to bringing those responsible to justice.

For Nasty C, however, the continuing violence represents a cycle that requires more than public statements after tragedy strikes.

His post has reignited conversations about accountability, public safety and the responsibility of government to address South Africa’s ongoing gender-based violence crisis.

As investigators continue working to establish exactly what happened to the women and whether the cases are connected, families and communities are waiting for answers.

For many South Africans, the demand remains the same: meaningful action to prevent more women from becoming names in another crime statistic.