The number of women found dead in South Africa’s Ekurhuleni municipality, east of Johannesburg, has risen to 11 following the discovery of another body.

South African police said the latest body was found on Sunday in an open field in the municipality.

Police spokesperson, Brigadier Brenda Muridili, said a security company vehicle on patrol noticed the body around midday and alerted the police.

The identity, age and cause of death of the latest victim were not immediately known.

The discovery came a day after police found the body of another woman near a cemetery in the same municipality.

Provincial police chief, Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni, said the woman appeared to have been stoned to death, while a post-mortem examination would determine the precise cause of death.

Police said a man linked to that killing was arrested nearly 400 kilometres away after leaving the area.

The arrest brings to four the number of people currently in police custody in connection with the recent killings.

However, police have not established a connection between the cases.

The nine other victims were mostly women in their 20s and 30s, with some found partially undressed and showing signs of possible sexual assault.

The first reported victim was a 37-year-old woman whose body was found naked and bound with cable ties on July 15. A suspect was arrested two days later.

The killings have heightened concerns over violence against women in South Africa, where gender-based violence remains a major public safety issue.

The national Gender-Based Violence Command Centre recorded 6,782 distress calls between September 1 and 16, averaging 424 calls daily and representing a 21 per cent increase from the same period in August.

Police investigations into the deaths are continuing as authorities work to establish whether any of the cases are connected.