When Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo Didn’t Come Home, SA Wrapped Its Arms Around Her Little Girl

Photo Credit: Vitality SA

Out of a devastating loss that has shocked a nation, the people of South Africa have come together in solidarity to secure a brighter, protected future for an eight-year-old girl who lost her mother far too soon.

Gauteng, South Africa (17 September 2026) – Her mother stepped out for a run, as she so often did. But on 9 September, she never returned home.

Reports that Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo had gone missing first circulated on social media last week, with desperate friends and family appealing for the public’s help when she failed to come back from her routine run. Her name has since made national headlines following the painful confirmation that her family positively identified her body at the Germiston mortuary.

While her name, face, and story have gripped the nation, to an eight-year-old girl, Elizabeth was simply a loving mother. This little girl’s life has been tragically turned upside down; her mother taken from her in the most awful and undeserved way imaginable, solely because she was a woman running alone in the neighbourhood she called home.

Elizabeth’s passing is part of several confirmed cases where women have been found deceased in and around Kempton Park over the past two months.

And while the news has unsettled and rightfully outraged South Africans across the country, a wave of support has also rallied around the grieving child caught in the midst of a storm she never asked for… one she could have never seen coming.

A verified crowdfunding campaign was launched three days ago by the Linbro Park and Reidlee running community to raise funds to support Elizabeth’s daughter’s future.

“While we cannot fill the space left by a parent, we can come together as a community to help provide something lasting: The gift of education and the opportunity for a brighter future.

“We aim to establish an education fund to support Elizabeth’s child’s educational journey in the years ahead. Every contribution will help towards school/university fees, educational needs and other costs associated with their education,” the running community shared.

The hope is that people can come together to build a foundation that provides stability, opportunity and hope for Elizabeth’s daughter’s future.

South Africans have responded with overwhelming love and generosity to a loss that has been so deeply painful to digest. Initially set at a target of R50,000, the campaign surpassed its goal within days. An outpouring of donations from across the country prompted organisers to raise the target, with funds reaching R135,826 at the time of publication.

Donors, ranging from anonymous members of the public to running acquaintances, have contributed generously alongside messages of support, grief, and prayers for the child. Organisations, including Discovery Vitality, where Elizabeth was a Team Vitality running club member, have also publicly pledged financial contributions to support her family.

Even in the middle of heightened tensions, concerns over women’s safety and the heartbreaking reality of gender-based violence, South Africans continue to look out for one another – responding with compassion and standing alongside a child in her hour of greatest need.

To those who knew her personally, Elizabeth is remembered as a woman whose presence held her family together. Our deepest thoughts remain with her family and her daughter during this unimaginable time, and we stand with them in praying that justice is served.