Three suspects have been detained in South Africa in connection with the murder of a woman in an area east of Johannesburg – the last of nine recent cases in that region that has shone a spotlight on the level of violence against women in the country.

Under pressure to solve the spate of murders which has involved victims’ bodies being dumped on a roadside, police have described the arrests of the three – a man and two women – as a “breakthrough”.

Referring to all nine cases, acting police chief Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane said her officers were “working tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice”.

The three suspects are due in court on Monday.

Their case relates to the death of Jabulile Ntimba, whose half-naked body was found wrapped in a sheet in Dawn Park last Thursday.

Several of the recent victims were discovered partially clothed and with injuries, but police have stressed that they have not established whether all the deaths are connected or whether a serial killer is responsible.

Addressing journalists on Monday, deputy police chief Lt Gen Tebello Mosikili said that “a team of analysts are working hard to see if there are links to all these cases” but the killing of Ntimba “appears to be an indication of a murder that stemmed from a relationship… this includes… a possible love triangle”.

South Africa has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. It also has a very high murder rate and though officials statistics do not identify the gender of the victims, a recent estimate from the country’s Human Rights Commission indicated that, on average, six women were murdered every day between April and June this year.

The recent grim discoveries have sparked a national outcry about the scale of the problem and increased the feeling of insecurity for many women.